In the final Comment with the Series, Professor Sir Andrew Haines, Director of The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and chair of the international task force of scientists that wrote the Series, gives a summary of the papers and their implications. He says: "The public health benefits of mitigation policies have not had sufficient prominence in international negotiations. The Series seeks to address that deficiency and strengthen the case for deep cuts in emissions. Additionally, the Series makes specific contributions to discussion by: illustrating a methodological approach to compare the relative effects on health of different mitigation strategies; showing the extent to which most mitigation choices lead to net health benefit compared with business as usual, and highlighting areas of uncertainty and needs for further research."
He concludes: "The Copenhagen conference presents an important opportunity to choose those policies that can not only achieve needed reductions in greenhouse gases, but also move toward development and health goals."
To interview Professor Sir Andrew Haines, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, please contact London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Press Office. T) +44 (0) 20 7927 2073 E) Sally.Hall@lshtm.ac.uk / Gemma.Howe@lshtm.ac.uk / andy.haines@lshtm.ac.uk
For full Comment, see: http://press.thelancet.com/tlhaccah.pdf
Journal
The Lancet