A new report from the Lancet Countdown highlights the severe and escalating impact of climate change on human health globally. Rising temperatures have expanded mosquito habitats, increasing the spread of diseases like dengue, which reached a record high of over five million cases worldwide last year. Additionally, heat-related deaths among those over 65 have surged by 167% since the 1990s.
The report, prepared by 122 experts, including those from the World Health Organization, warns that time lost on climate action has cost lives. Out of 15 health indicators monitored over eight years, 10 have set alarming new records, including extreme weather events, elderly heat-related deaths, the spread of infectious diseases, and food shortages caused by climate-driven droughts and floods. Lancet Countdown’s Marina Romanello emphasized that health threats are at unprecedented levels, affecting populations in every country. The report precedes COP29 in Azerbaijan and a U.S. election, which could influence climate policy dramatically if climate-change skeptic Donald Trump is elected.
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