Climate Change Is a Accelerating Global Health Emergency, Lancet Report Warns
· World · ABC News, NDTV
Climate change is driving an accelerating global health emergency that is causing hundreds of thousands of deaths annually, according to a comprehensive new report by University College London and the WHO. Published in the 2026 Lancet Countdown on health and climate change, the study incorporates findings from 146 researchers across more than 30 countries. Researchers estimated that extreme heat was linked to an average of over 540,000 deaths per year between 2016 and 2023, attributing 68% of those fatalities directly to climate change. In 2023 alone, heat-related deaths reached an estimated 710,000, surpassing annual fatalities from malaria or HIV. Beyond the mounting human toll, reduced workforce productivity caused by extreme heat resulted in more than a trillion dollars in lost global income in 2025.
Why it matters
The escalating mortality and economic losses demonstrate that climate harms are outpacing global response measures, threatening vulnerable communities and workforce productivity worldwide.
Read the original report — ABC News
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