Climate change must be declared 'global health emergency': Lancet study

A new report from The Lancet warns that climate change should be declared a global health emergency to prompt governments to take action. Heat waves between 2016 and 2023 were responsible for three million deaths worldwide, with 68% of those fatalities directly linked to human-induced climate change. Published ahead of the COP 31 climate summit, the study, compiled by 146 researchers from 30 countries, highlights the devastating impact of rising temperatures.

The researchers estimate that extreme drought affected more than half of the world's land surface last year, causing worker productivity losses of over $1 trillion annually over the past three years. Southeast Asia and Africa suffered the most economic losses, with GDP reductions of 3.9% and 3.2%, respectively, compared to 0.2% for Europe and 1.5% for the Americas.

While progress has been made in integrating climate change into health systems, the study reveals a significant disparity in funding for climate-related medical research, with 84% going to wealthier nations despite the most vulnerable populations bearing the brunt of health threats.