Report : Heat-related Deaths, Diseases Rising Globally Due to Climate Change

*Urges urgent divestment from fossil fuels to save humanity

*Says despite repeated warnings, trillions of dollars being directed into fossil fuel subsidies 

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

A new report has warned that climate change is raising temperatures to unprecedented dangerous levels globally, resulting in more deaths and the spread of infectious diseases, while worsening drought and food security.
The Lancet Countdown, an annual report which was released Wednesday based on work by 122 experts, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), revealed that
of 15 indicators that the experts had been tracking over the last eight years, 10 have “reached concerning new records,” including increasing extreme weather events, elderly deaths from heat, and people going without food as droughts and floods hit crops.
According to the report, the elderly are the most vulnerable, with the number of heat-related deaths in persons aged 65 and above reaching a level of 167 per cent in 2023, above the number of such deaths in the 1990s.
The report explained that year-on-year, the deaths directly associated with climate change were increasing.
Data from the report indicates that in 2023, which was the hottest year ever recorded, climate change added 50 extra days of dangerously high temperatures for the average person.
This surge in extreme heat impacted health, labour productivity, and food systems, with even worse effects anticipated if global warming continues unchecked, the report said.
Beyond the human toll, the report stressed that economic losses from extreme weather events alone were staggering, estimated at $227 billion per year over the past five years (2019–2023), a value that exceeds the GDP of 60 per cent of the world’s economies.
It noted that heat does not just affect the mortality and increasing deaths, but also increasing the diseases and the pathologies associated with heat exposure.
Explaining that rising temperatures were equally inflicting profit losses, the report stated that extreme heat in 2023 resulted in a global loss of an estimated 512 billion potential labour hours, worth hundreds of billions of dollars in potential economic losses.
Many outdoor and agricultural workers are finding it impossible to continue working through increasingly extreme heat conditions, threatening livelihoods in already vulnerable communities, it added.
The Lancet report also tracked how oil and gas companies, as well as some governments and banks, were “fuelling the fire” of climate change.
It blamed large oil and gas companies, which have been posting record profits involved in increased fossil fuel production since last year.
Many countries, it stated, also doled out new subsidies to fossil fuels to counteract soaring oil and gas prices after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Despite repeated warnings, governments and companies continue to direct trillions of dollars toward fossil fuel subsidies and investments, the report said.
In 2023, fossil fuel investments accounted for more than one third of global energy spending, the report observed, noting that clean energy investment and the critical funds needed to support the most vulnerable nations remain vastly underfunded.
Giving more insights into the threat of climate change, the report observed that in 2023, people were exposed to, on average, an unprecedented 50 more days of health-threatening temperatures than expected without climate change.
In 2023, extreme drought conditions affected up to 48 per cent of the world’s land area, leaving an estimated 151 million people facing food insecurity, compared to averages recorded between 1981 and 2010, the report said.
It further revealed that 61 per cent of the global land area saw an increase in extreme precipitation events compared to the 1961–1990 average, increasing the risks of food insecurity, extreme weather and water contamination.
The report stressed that a global transformation was not only possible but necessary, submitting that the world has the financial resources to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources that can improve public health, enhance economic security and create sustainable jobs.
It called for investment in clean energy now to save lives, protect the planet and boost economies.
Commenting on the report, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organisation, Dr. Maria Neira stated that “this report prepared in close collaboration with WHO as a strategic partner highlights that climate crisis is no longer a distant threat – it’s here, and it’s taking a devastating toll on people’s health.” said Dr Neira added: “We are seeing record-breaking heat waves, droughts and food insecurity affecting millions of lives worldwide. Yet, we continue to pour trillions of dollars into fossil fuels, which are driving these crises. It’s time to stop funding harm and start investing in health.”