Health Aid may be Affected by Climate Cash Pledged by Rich Nations: Bill Gates

Rich nations' cash pledges to combat climate change must not come at the cost of healthcare spending, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warned in an interview published Tuesday.

Rich nations' cash pledges to tackle climate change must not come at the cost of healthcare spending, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warned in an interview published Tuesday.

The entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist told the Times of India that money promised at last month's Copenhagen summit to enable developing countries to tackle climate change could cut into healthcare aid budgets.

Health Effects of Global Warming
Greenhouse effect causes excessive heat to build up in the earth’s atmosphere causing global warming and affects the environment and health.

"I am concerned that some of this money will come from reducing other categories of foreign aid, especially health," Gates told the newspaper.

"With an additional pledge for global warming, the budget of rich countries will be out of balance and they will look to cut down on expenditure."

A total of 30 billion dollars was pledged at Copenhagen for 2010-2012 to help poor countries in the frontline of climate change, and wealthy nations sketched a target of providing 100 billion dollars annually by 2020.

Heat Exhaustion - Causes - Symptom - Treatment - FAQs
Heat exhaustion is a heat-related illness and occurs when the body gets too hot. Heat exhaustion occurs due to dehydration and loss of electrolytes through the skin.

Gates' charity, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has committed nearly one billion dollars to health and development projects in India, especially targeting AIDS and polio.

"What donor nations must understand is that health has a direct impact on climate change," Gates said, pointing to health education encouraging families to have fewer children.

Bill Gates' Funds for Global Health Not All Well Spent
Not all of the billions of dollars given by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to boost global health have been wisely spent, one of Britain's top medical journals said on Friday.

He also urged India to increase spending on healthcare, which stands at about two percent of government expenditure.

Source-AFP
THK