Lancet Countdown Report Warns of Accelerating Health Impacts from Climate Change

The 2026 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report, published ahead of COP31, reveals that the health impacts of climate change are accelerating faster than the global response. Key findings include a nearly 36% increase in annual average heat-related deaths in the years following the Paris Agreement compared to the previous decade, with heat linked to a record 710,000 deaths globally in 2023. The report, a collaboration of 146 researchers and over 100 institutions, urges governments to recognize climate change as a public health emergency.