In brief
A report by 146 researchers, including seven from the University of Sydney, found that climate‑related deaths rose sharply since the Paris Agreement, with 710,000 heat‑related deaths in 2023 alone. The study calculates that climate change accounts for roughly 70 percent of these deaths and links heat exposure to billions of lost work hours and trillions of dollars in income loss. Scientists now call for a formal global health emergency declaration to mobilize resources and policy action.
Scientists from the Lancet Countdown 2026 report, released by Xinhua on 6 November 2026, have called for climate change to be officially declared a global health emergency, warning that its human‑health impacts are accelerating worldwide.
The report, produced by 146 researchers from 71 institutions—including seven from the University of Sydney—and led by University College London in strategic collaboration with the World Health Organization, found that many climate‑related health risks grew faster in the decade following the 2015 Paris Agreement than in the previous decade.
Heat exposure has become the most significant driver of climate‑related mortality. The study estimates an average of 540,800 deaths per year from heat between 2016 and 2023, with climate change responsible for approximately 68 percent of those deaths. In 2023, the hottest year examined, heat was linked to a record 710,000 deaths globally, more than 70 percent attributable to human‑caused climate change.
Beyond mortality, the report highlights the economic toll of heat exposure. In 2025, heat exposure is projected to have caused an estimated 573 billion potential work hours lost and 1.07 trillion U.S. dollars in potential income losses.
While global investment in clean energy reached a record 2.1 trillion dollars in 2025, fossil fuels continue to supply over 80 percent of the world’s electricity. Pollution from fossil fuels pushes an estimated 2.73 million deaths annually, underscoring the urgency of structural change.
The call for a global health emergency designation stems from the observation that health systems worldwide are already strained by climate impacts. By framing climate change as a health crisis, experts believe the global community could unlock new funding streams, policy measures, and a coordinated health‑risk response.
The report’s authors note that the Paris Agreement’s health‑related targets were not fully met, and that the scale of climate‑driven health risks has outpaced those gains.
Experts question how a global health‑emergency declaration would be operationalized. They ask whether it would trigger WHO oversight, lead to national emergency status designations, or prompt new international funding mechanisms akin to those used for acute outbreaks.
There is also uncertainty about the legal and political consequences of such a declaration. While the report urges action, it does not outline a specific framework for implementation, leaving policy makers to navigate the steps required to elevate climate change to a global health emergency.
Nonetheless, the medical community’s appeal echoes broader concerns about the intersection of climate and public health. It sets the stage for upcoming international discussions where governments may consider integrating climate risk into health‑policy planning.
With the health toll of climate change now quantified in concrete numbers, the next moment will be determining whether the scientific community’s plea translates into decisive global policy action.
