A new report released by 120 leading global experts reveals that health threats from climate change have now reached “record levels”.
This summer, many people fell unconscious in the major city of Karachi and some subsequently died, according to local media in Pakistan.
Temperatures reached 47 degrees Celsius in Sindh province. Doctors have treated thousands of heatstroke victims.
Authorities in the provincial capital have asked people to stay indoors, hydrate and avoid unnecessary travel.
Pakistan is warming much faster than the global average, with a potential increase of 1.3 to 4.9 degrees Celsius by the 2090s, according to a World Bank expert panel on climate change.
And according to a new report released by 120 leading global experts, health threats from climate change have now reached “record levels”.
Marina Romanello, executive director of the Lancet Countdown at University College London:
“ With our data and evidence, we see that climate change is a fundamental health problem. We have reached record levels, very concerning, in the last year of data. We are seeing an increase in the number of deaths of a very vulnerable age group, people aged over 65, due to exposure to extreme heat. We are also seeing that due to exposure to extreme heat, people’s ability to work outdoors is increasingly limited. And the health of workers is put at risk “.
Increase in deaths
The eighth annual Lancet Countdown Indicator Report finds that heat-related deaths continue to rise and could one day surpass cold-related deaths.
In 2023, people were exposed, on average, to 50 more days than expected of health-threatening temperatures.
According to the report, more frequent heat waves and droughts are responsible for an increase of 151 million people experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity in 124 countries in 2022.
Marina Romanello, executive director of the Lancet Countdown at University College London:
“ With our data and evidence, we see that climate change is a fundamental health problem. We have reached record levels, very concerning, in the last year of data. We are seeing an increase in the number of deaths of a very vulnerable age group, people aged over 65, due to exposure to extreme heat. We are also seeing that due to exposure to extreme heat, people’s ability to work outdoors is increasingly limited. And the health of workers is put at riskr”.
The eighth annual Lancet Countdown Indicator Report finds that heat-related deaths continue to rise and could one day surpass cold-related deaths.
According to Marina Romanello, almost 50% of the world’s land surface is today affected by extreme droughts.
“ We saw what that looked like in terms of threats to population health. In cases like Somalia in the Horn of Africa, this situation of acute famine has been exacerbated by drought. In South America, where I’m from, a record drought over the past two years has also had devastating effects on our agricultural system. It has also isolated communities in the Amazon that rely on rivers for transportation. The health consequences of all this are therefore enormous. “.
ADVERTISEMENTAhead of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, this November, the report’s authors call on governments to stop investing in fossil fuels and redirect funds toward renewable energy
