Politicians who delay climate action must live with consequences, says WHO expert

Delegates at Cop are ‘negotiating with our health’, says Maria Neira, the doctor in charge of environmental health at WHO

Politicians who delay climate action should be prepared to live with the human fallout of their choices, the World Health Organization’s top environment expert has warned.

“Anytime you postpone, OK, are you ready to cope with that?” said Maria Neira, the doctor in charge of environmental health at the WHO. “You have to live with that weight on your shoulders of the fact that you are at least not saving those lives – I don’t want to say killing – but at least not protecting the lives of those people.”