Climate Change’s Devastating Impact on Health and Mortality: New Report Reveals Alarming Trends

Climate change continues to have a worsening effect on health and mortality around the world, according to an exhaustive report published on Tuesday by an international team of 114 researchers. The report, published in the medical journal The Lancet, highlights the significant impact of climate change on public health, including heat-related deaths, lost income, and food insecurity.

One of the most alarming findings of the report is the 85 percent increase in heat-related deaths of people older than 65 since the 1990s. This demographic, along with infants, is particularly vulnerable to health risks like heat stroke. As global temperatures have risen, older people and infants are now exposed to twice the number of heat-wave days annually compared to the period from 1986 to 2005.

The report also reveals the economic consequences of extreme heat, estimating income losses as high as $863 billion in 2022 due to reduced productivity or inability to work. Additionally, an estimated 127 million more people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2021 as a result of heat waves and droughts, compared to the period from 1981 to 2010.

Dr. Marina Romanello, a researcher at University College London and the executive director of the report, emphasized the irreversible impact of the health costs associated with climate change. She stated, “We’ve lost very precious years of climate action, and that has come at an enormous health cost.”

The report also highlights the increase in heat-related deaths among adults aged 65 and older in the United States, with an 88 percent rise between 2018 and 2022 compared to 2000-04. An estimated 23,200 older Americans died in 2022 due to exposure to extreme heat.

Dr. Renee Salas, an emergency medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, emphasized the real-world implications of these statistics, drawing attention to the elderly patients she sees in her hospital suffering from heatstroke. She views the report as a vital tool for tracking national and international health trends related to climate change.

The report’s projections for the future paint a grim picture if global temperatures continue to rise. If the global average temperature increases by 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, the number of heat-related deaths each year could rise by 370 percent by the middle of this century.

Despite these dire projections, the report also highlights the positive impact of reducing fossil fuel pollution on global health. Deaths from air pollution related to fossil fuels have decreased by 15 percent since 2005, primarily due to reduced coal-related pollution entering the atmosphere.

Dr. Sharon Friel, director of the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse at the Australian National University, commended the ongoing monitoring of climate change’s effects on global health provided by The Lancet Countdown. She emphasized the importance of addressing the root cause of health issues, which the report identifies as the continued use of fossil fuels.

As the world grapples with the health impacts of climate change, the report underscores the urgent need for health care systems and societal infrastructure to adapt to the current level of global warming. Dr. Romanello warns that if we have not been able to cope with the health challenges of today, we are unlikely to be able to cope in the future.

The report is expected to be a focal point of discussion at the upcoming United Nations climate summit in the United Arab Emirates, with a greater emphasis on human health. As the world faces the escalating health risks posed by climate change, the findings of this report serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need for action to mitigate the impact on global health.