OREANDA-NEWS. Sanofi announced today its commitment to COP21, the United Nations conference on climate change, as an official partner, and its participation to Solutions COP21, a public exhibition in the heart of Paris. Following the World Health Organization (WHO) call to push the impact of climate change on human health to center stage, Sanofi has decided to actively contribute to COP21 in order to raise awareness on this issue, but also to take action to prevent its consequences.

"We need to urgently support the mobilization of the entire health community, public and private stakeholders, starting with life sciences companies, who are responsible for contributing to the advancement of health," said Olivier Brandicourt, M.D., Chief Executive Officer, Sanofi. "If we act now, we can mitigate the consequences of climate change on the health of the world's population. Health must be part of the Climate debate."

Climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress, between 2030 and 2050, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The direct effects of climate change on health include illness, death and morbidity during extreme weather events (heat waves, floods, droughts, hurricanes or storms). The indirect impacts go much further including the influence of climate on microbial populations, consequences on non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular or respiratory diseases and distribution of vector-born diseases.

As highlighted in the 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change Report, published in June, "the links between climate change, vector populations and hence malarial range and incidence may become significant in areas where the temperature is currently the limiting factor, possibly increasing the incidence of a disease that causes 660,000 deaths per year."

Sanofi is actively engaged in a number of activities whose aim is to address health issues exacerbated by climate change:

  • Medications and Awareness: Sanofi provides medicines and vaccines but also raises populations awareness, strengthens surveillance and enhances diagnostic and treatment capacity. In the field of malaria, for example, Sanofi has pursued strategic partnerships with National Malaria Control programs in several African countries to provide affordable medicines and to support local stakeholders in the prevention diagnosis and treatment of malaria.
  • Carbon Footprint: Implementing a low carbon economy requires a collective effort. The health sector as a whole contributes between 3% and 5% to OECD countries emissions. Sanofi is committed to achieving a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions stemming (industrial and R&D sites) from 2010 to 2020. By the end of 2014, Sanofi achieved a 15% reduction.
  • Global Collaborations: As a global healthcare leader, Sanofi is in a unique position to program the impacts of climate change on health on the public agenda in a collective approach. That is why Sanofi is pursuing collaborations with governments, non-governmental organizations and the scientific community to find responses to limit the negative consequences of climate change on worldwide health.

Additionally and within the COP21, to mobilize the public and to help adapt to the consequences of climate change, Sanofi will launch a social networks campaign #HealthCOP21. From December 4th to 10th 2015, Sanofi will also host public on its booth at Solutions COP21, located in the Grand Palais, a public exhibition in the heart of Paris.