Scientists called for recognizing climate change as a threat to human health
Climate change is becoming not only an environmental problem, but also a serious public health problem. Extreme heat is leading to thousands of premature deaths, droughts are threatening food security, and the effects of global warming are increasing the strain on the economy and health systems. The authors of the international report called for recognizing the climate crisis as a global health emergency. The scale of the threat and measures that can help protect people are described in the Izvestia article.
The heat wave claimed millions of lives
The author of the annual Lancet Countdown report on the relationship between climate and health called for climate change to be recognized as a global health emergency. The report was prepared by 146 researchers from more than 30 countries, who evaluated 54 indicators reflecting the impact of climate change on human health. The work was published in The Lancet magazine.
According to the report, in 2023, the heat wave was associated with a record 710,000 deaths worldwide. Researchers attributed more than 70% of these cases to the effects of climate change caused by human activity. According to Marina Romanello, executive director of Lancet Countdown, the heat wave caused about 3 million deaths between 2016 and 2023.
To assess the contribution of global warming, scientists compared data on heat-related deaths with calculations of how many such cases could have occurred without anthropogenic climate change. Thus, we are not talking about all deaths in hot weather, but about assessing the additional impact of global warming.
The climate crisis is costing the economy trillions
The effects of global warming are not limited to deaths during extreme heat. High temperatures reduce labor productivity, and prolonged droughts pose additional risks to agriculture and food security.
According to the report, over the past three years, the global economy's losses due to declining labor productivity have exceeded $1 trillion annually. The most significant losses relative to the size of the economy were recorded in Southeast Asia and Africa - 3.9% and 3.2% of GDP, respectively. For America, this figure was 1.5%, for Europe — 0.2%.
In 2025, extreme drought affected about 51.8% of the Earth's land surface for at least one month. This was the second highest indicator for the entire observation period. Dry conditions can exacerbate water scarcity and complicate food production, especially in regions where populations are already facing resource shortages.
The authors of the report also point to the uneven distribution of the effects of the climate crisis. The most vulnerable countries often have less financial capacity to adapt their health infrastructure and systems. Therefore, researchers consider it necessary not only to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also to help states prepare for the consequences of climate change.
Scientists called for long-term measures
According to the authors of the report, responding to climate threats should not be limited to eliminating the consequences of individual heat waves, droughts or other extreme events. A coherent long-term strategy is needed to strengthen health systems, develop early warning of dangerous weather conditions, and reduce the impact of global warming.
Some countries are already taking such steps. Since 2016, 56 of the 194 member States of the World Health Organization have adapted their health and early warning systems to extreme weather events. However, according to the researchers, these measures are not enough to counteract the growing risks.
Funding for research on the relationship between climate and health reached $316 million in 2024— seven times more than before. At the same time, 84% of these funds were received by scientists from rich countries, although states with limited resources are often more susceptible to climate threats. The authors of the report believe that funding should be allocated taking into account the needs of the most vulnerable regions.
Clean energy is already helping to save lives
Despite the alarming findings of the report, the researchers also note positive changes. In 2025, global investments in clean energy reached $2.1 trillion, about twice as much as investments in fossil fuels. The development of cleaner energy sources can benefit health not only by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also by reducing air pollution.
According to the authors of the report, reducing air pollution associated with the use of fossil fuels has prevented about 323,000 premature deaths annually in at least 77 countries since 2016. At the same time, fossil fuels still provide about 80% of the world's energy, and the associated air pollution, according to the report, leads to 2.73 million deaths per year.
The World Health Organization also stressed that climate change is already affecting human health in all regions of the world. The consequences include increased heat stress, extreme weather events, threats to food security, and the spread of certain diseases.
The authors of the report call for climate change to be officially recognized as a global health emergency and for the health consequences to be taken into account when making climate decisions, from reducing emissions to allocating funding. At the same time, we are talking about a proposal from researchers, and not about an already made decision to declare such an emergency. According to experts, timely measures can simultaneously reduce climate risks and improve public health.
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