Researchers urge global health emergency declaration as climate harms accelerate

The 10th annual Lancet Countdown report is calling on the UN and WHO to declare climate change a global health emergency due to rising heat deaths and economic losses.

Nearly 150 researchers from more than 30 countries argue that a formal emergency designation is necessary to move global climate action from voluntary commitments to mandatory, coordinated management. According to Euronews, such a move would establish legally binding accountability mechanisms, strengthen health surveillance, and mobilize resources at a scale that reflects the current threat to public health.

The report highlights a sharp increase in fatalities, noting that climate change was responsible for 70% of the 710,000 heat-related deaths recorded in 2023. Deutsche Welle reported that since 2016, nearly 3 million people have died due to climate-related heat, with the rate of these deaths more than doubling when compared to the decade prior to the Paris Agreement.

Financial and agricultural impacts are also mounting, with extreme heat resulting in $1.07 trillion in lost potential income in 2023. In 2025, heat exposure caused the loss of 573 billion potential working hours, with farmworkers in Africa and South-East Asia suffering the most significant impacts. Furthermore, the area affected by extreme drought is now expanding 700% faster than it did in the previous decade.

To address these risks, the authors suggest immediate global bans on new fossil fuel exploration and a phase-out of coal-fired power by 2035. Alan Dangour of the Wellcome Trust stated that success should be measured by improved health outcomes and lives saved rather than just degrees Celsius, as the window to avoid a catastrophic future is rapidly closing.

Background

The Lancet report's indicators show that climate-related health risks have accelerated since the Paris Agreement entered into force in 2016. While the World Health Organization originally hailed the accord as the most important public health agreement of the century, researchers now warn that existing measures are insufficient to protect populations.