17 major health threats identified
A commission from The Lancet has identified 17 major threats to human health by the end of the century, with the malicious use of artificial intelligence (AI) and nuclear conflict ranked as the two greatest threats, each having the potential to lead to human extinction.AI and nuclear conflict top the list
According to the report, published on October 11, the malicious use of AI could lead to a loss of 10.4 billion years of healthy life (DALY) by 2100, compared to 9.35 billion in the case of a nuclear conflict leading to a global food crisis, referred to as "nuclear famine."Other significant health threats
These two threats, which have "extinction potential," are accompanied by 15 other threats to human health, each capable of causing a loss of more than 1 billion DALY by 2100. The identified threats include chronic diseases, addictive practices, socio-economic factors, environmental causes, infectious disease-related issues, poor mental health, and others.Threats are interdependent
The commission emphasizes that these 17 threats are "interdependent," and thus must be addressed jointly rather than individually. This means that tackling one issue, such as air pollution, may also help reduce the risk of climate change or health inequalities.Consequences of inaction
In the absence of action, the 17 threats would lead to the loss of tens of billions of DALY by 2100, unevenly distributed across regions of the world, but with a significant risk for each country. Within each country, the poorest people would be the most affected.Recommendations for addressing the threats
Experts recommend establishing and funding health systems capable of addressing the threats, based on solid structures and sustainable funding; significantly increasing investments in breakthrough innovations; and creating a permanent "21st Century Global Health Threat Observatory" to update assessments.
