Ahead of COP29, report finds rising deaths linked to climate change

A new report highlights escalating health risks from climate change, with more dangerous temperatures and worsening conditions, while calling for greater recognition of health in climate negotiations.

A recent report on climate change and health reveals that people globally are facing more days with dangerously high temperatures, while worsening conditions like extreme weather, deforestation, and air pollution from fossil fuel combustion increasingly threaten health. 

The health effects of climate change come with a significant cost, particularly due to unprecedented labor capacity loss, according to Marina Romanello, Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown report. 

"Are we seeing better engagement of countries at COP? In general, the engagement with health has been very marginal. But since last year, we had the first health day at COP. We had health now formally included as a goal of adaptation in the climate negotiations. We have health acknowledged as a key goal of the Global Stocktake. So we are seeing an increased acknowledgement of the links between health. We're still not seeing that the cost of lives, the cost of health, the cost of livelihoods are taking adequately into account. And those benefits that climate action could deliver are still quite marginal," she added.

The 2024 Lancet Countdown, released annually before the UN climate talks, precedes this year's conference from November 11-22 in Baku, Azerbaijan. At last year’s COP28 in Dubai, the UAE Climate and Health Declaration was endorsed by over 150 countries.

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