Tran Phuong Anh/UNICEF Viet Nam
A man fishing in the Mekong delta
Climate change is estimated to cause over 150,000 annual deaths globally. Its effects will continue to be felt most in the poorest and most vulnerable communities. Key ways in which health will be affected include the direct impact of extreme weather events; poor water and sanitation; impaired nutrition due to decreased food security; and increased incidence of infectious diseases, including vectorborne diseases.
Millions of people in Viet Nam's Mekong Delta region are potentially at risk. The World Bank Global Monitoring Report shows that if there is a one-metre rise in sea levels, Viet Nam will be the most-affected country in the world, with possibly millions of people displaced.
Urban outdoor air pollution is estimated to cause 1.3 million deaths worldwide each year. Those living in middle-income countries disproportionately experience this burden. Indoor air pollution is estimated to cause approximately 2 million premature deaths, mostly in developing countries. Almost half of these deaths are due to pneumonia in children under 5 years of age.
