Lancet Countdown calls for global health emergency over climate
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on L’essentiel
The annual Lancet Countdown report says climate change caused 3 million deaths between 2016 and 2023 and calls for it to be recognised as a global health emergency. Published ahead of COP31, the study brings together 146 researchers from 30 countries and calls for a coordinated response to strengthen health systems, according to The Lancet.
The Lancet Countdown is calling for climate change to be recognised as a “global health emergency” to mobilise governments and fund the adaptation of health systems and economies. Climate change caused nearly three million heat-related deaths between 2016 and 2023, according to a report published by the British medical journal The Lancet.
The year 2023 saw a record 710,000 deaths attributed to heat, more than the number of deaths from malaria or HIV. More than two-thirds of these deaths are thought to be linked to human-caused climate change, according to researchers from the Lancet Countdown, a scientific project bringing together 146 researchers from 30 countries.
Marina Romanello, executive director of the Lancet Countdown, proposes a coordinated response mechanism between states, modelled on the World Health Organization’s response to pandemics. She says such a mechanism should enable coherent long-term action rather than a succession of responses to isolated crises.
The report is expected to inform discussions at COP31, the UN’s annual climate conference, scheduled for 9 to 20 November.
