Abuja – A climate change consultant and environmental analyst, Air Vice Marshal (Rtd.) Akugbe Iyamu, has warned that the effects of climate change and flooding are not only destroying lives and livelihoods but are now contributing to rising cases of hypertension globally.
Iyamu, who is also President of the Association of Environmental Protection and Climate Change Practitioners, said in a statement that post-disaster trauma, depression, and despondency in vulnerable communities often result in high blood pressure and related health complications.
He noted that climate-induced disasters, worsened by carbon emissions and environmental degradation, are now among the leading causes of preventable deaths worldwide.
According to him, 99.6 percent of vehicles produced by major automobile companies still run on fossil fuels, a development he described as a major driver of carbon pollution.
He stressed that such companies should be held accountable for contributing to the degradation of about 10 million hectares of forest, an area equivalent to the size of Iceland.
Iyamu further expressed concern over worsening global warming, citing 2024 as the hottest year on record.
He explained that rising temperatures are causing excessive heat, unpredictable cloudbursts, and massive sea level rise, with low-lying nations like Tuvalu and coastal regions at risk of being submerged.
“The urgency of keeping global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius requires reasonable, responsible, and recyclable products,” he said, adding that the earth is already showing contradictions with undefined seasons and extreme weather events.
He warned that unless urgent action is taken, climate change will continue to drive up global health bills through conditions like hypertension, stressing that 2025 should be a year of decisive global action to prevent further catastrophic damage.
Iyamu called for a global consensus to hold emitters and polluters accountable, while urging governments and individuals to embrace sustainable practices to safeguard the planet and protect human health.