An international team of researchers, working with the World Health Organization, has released the 2026 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report urging governments to formally recognise climate change as a global health emergency.

The report, timed ahead of the November COP31 summit, tracks 54 climate‑health indicators and draws on contributions from 146 researchers across more than 100 institutions in over 30 countries.

It documents a near‑36 percent rise in annual average heat‑related deaths since the 2015 Paris Agreement, with a record 710,000 deaths in 2023, over 70 percent of which were attributed to human‑caused climate change.

Dr Diarmid Campbell‑Lendrum, head of WHO’s climate change, air quality and health unit, warned that health impacts are already evident in every region and are accelerating.

The authors recommend that health protection be placed at the centre of climate policies and funding decisions, calling for faster greenhouse‑gas cuts and greater investment in community‑level adaptation measures.

While global clean‑energy investment hit a record US$2.1 trillion (Sh272.9 trillion) in 2025, the report notes that progress on health‑related climate actions has lagged behind rising risks such as worsening droughts and extreme water events.

More countries are adopting health‑system preparedness plans and early‑warning systems, but the authors stress that funding for climate adaptation must be increased to keep pace with escalating health threats.