Climate Inaction “Claiming Millions of Lives Every Year”, New Report Warns
By The Urban Gazette Global Desk — Geneva
A major global health and climate report issued this week warns that ongoing failure to adapt to and mitigate climate change is already costing millions of lives each year.
The World Health Organization and partner institutions released the report emphasising that protecting human health must become a central driver of climate action.
Key findings: over-reliance on fossil fuels and delays in adapting to a heating world are causing wide-ranging health impacts (heat-related deaths, vector-borne diseases, crop failure leading to malnutrition). The report points out that many of the worst impacts are already being felt in lower-income countries least responsible for global emissions.
Experts say the window to hold global heating to the 1.5 °C threshold (as per the Paris Agreement) is rapidly closing, and that stronger integration between health policy and climate strategy is needed. The report calls for accelerated transition from fossil fuels, investment in resilient health systems and early-warning mechanisms for climate-driven disasters.
What to watch: How governments and multilateral institutions respond to the report’s health-centred framing of climate change, whether budget and legislative shifts appear, and how vulnerable regions mobilise adaptation funding.
