Experts call for climate change to be declared global health emergency

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 28 Oct, 00:27 · Archive

Researchers demand climate change be declared a global health emergency as heat-related deaths surge.

Nearly 150 researchers from more than 30 countries are calling for climate change to be declared a global health emergency as the health and economic toll of planetary heating escalates. The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, led by University College London and the World Health Organisation, found that health risks have grown faster in the decade since the 2015 Paris Agreement than in the decade preceding it.

Heat-related deaths have surged dramatically. Extreme heat contributed to over 710,000 fatalities in 2023, with researchers attributing more than 70 per cent directly to man-made warming. Between 2016 and 2023, climate change was responsible for 68 per cent of heat-related deaths, up from 55 per cent in the previous decade. The economic toll is also severe: heat cost the world an estimated 1.07 trillion dollars in lost potential income in 2024. Beyond heat, drought affected nearly 52 per cent of global land for at least one month in 2025, the second-highest level recorded, threatening food and water supplies.

Alan Dangour, director of climate and health at the Wellcome Trust, said: 'We must change course and put the health and well-being of people at the heart of our response to climate change — measuring success not through emissions targets or degrees Celsius but by lives saved and health outcomes improved.' The report, published ahead of next month's UN climate conference, monitors 54 indicators tracking how health interacts with climate factors including air pollution, disease transmission and extreme weather.

How it is being reported

• Experts urge 'global health emergency' as climate harms accelerateHeat, drought and storms linked to climate change are already killing millions worldwide. Researchers want global warming to be declared a global health emergency as the health harms from it escalate faster than ever.DW News · 28 Oct, 00:05
• Experts demand climate change be declared a global health emergency as heat-related deaths soarMajor concerns have been raised following a surge in heat-related deaths over the past decadeThe Independent · 28 Oct, 00:01

In this story: Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change · University College London · World Health Organisation · Wellcome Trust · UN

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