On Thursday, at the Carlos III Health Institute, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environmental Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, and the Ministers of Health, Science, Innovation and Universities, Monica García and Diana Morant, presented the Observatory on Health and Climate Change (OSCC), Which the Council of Ministers approved its establishment in July last year.
This organization, characterized by its multidisciplinary composition, was born from the need to comprehensively address the impact of climate change on health and with the aim of optimal coordination of monitoring, forecasting and evaluation of the measures taken. As well as providing scientific and technical support to public administrations.
The observatory is another example of the efforts made by this government to ensure the well-being and health of citizens in a comprehensive manner. Another step to confront new challenges caused by the climate emergency.
Until the Health and Climate Change Observatory was established, there was no body to unify all these initiatives and address the problem with the degree of cross-cutting it requires. With its implementation, the provisions of the National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change (PNACC), coordinated by MITECO, and the Strategic Plan for Health and Environment (PESMA), coordinated by the Ministry of Health, are being fulfilled.
“The joint work of the Health and Climate Change Observatory has clear added value in areas critical for our country’s progress: to advance scientific research, to improve the response capacity of our public health system and to proactively manage the pandemic.” “The effects of climate change,” Vice President Teresa Ribera said in her speech.
For her part, Monica Garcia highlighted that her government's Ministry of Health “is doing and will do everything in its power to decarbonize the health system and protect the population from the effects of climate change.”
For her part, the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, confirmed that “Spanish public science constitutes an essential pillar of this pioneering observatory.” He pointed out, “We will work to strengthen scientific research in the field of health and climate change in our country's science, technology and innovation system, and then we will share it to help plan and make the best decisions and thus protect citizens.”