Avoiding the apocalypse: a call for global action
Journal Title: Journal of Health and Social Sciences - Year 2016, Vol 1, Issue 2
Abstract
According to an authoritative report published at the beginning of the 21th century, in the coming century the countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will have to face the real risk of being subjected to potentially catastrophic events. The quick climate change, leading to wind storms and floods across Europe, ice storms in Canada, and global warming; the emergence of new forms of contagious and deadly infectious diseases such as AIDS and Ebola; terrorist attacks such as that of 11 September 2001 in the United States along with armed conflicts; devastating earthquakes such as the one in 2011 in Fukushima, Japan that caused the third largest nuclear accident in history; as well as a long list of other horrific environmental disasters to which we are witnesses every day, cannot fail to have a strong negative impact on the lives, health and well-being of all the world’s peoples.These ‘new emerging risks’ will annihilate the poorest countries, which are unprepared, but may also affect vital sectors of the developed countries (i.e., health services, transport, energy, food and water supplies, information and telecommunications). The consequences, therefore, could be serious and unpredictable for all.
Authors and Affiliations
Francesco Chirico
Keywords
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- EP ID EP216115
- DOI 10.19204/2016/avdn10
- Views 144
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