Researchers behind the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change have urged the World Health Organization and the United Nations to declare climate change a global health emergency, arguing that health risks are growing faster than responses to them.

Key findings

  • Heat caused an estimated 3 million deaths worldwide between 2016 and 2023, 68% of them attributable to climate change.
  • Heat-related deaths reached a record of about 7.1 lakh (710,000) in 2023, more than 70% linked to human-caused warming.
  • Risks from drought, extreme rainfall and dengue are also increasing.
  • Lost worker productivity from rising temperatures has cost the global economy more than $1 trillion a year for each of the past three years.

Executive director Marina Romanello called for a sustained, long-term response rather than repeated emergency measures.

Why it matters for India

Earlier Lancet Countdown reports have found India among the countries most exposed to extreme heat, with outdoor workers and agriculture especially affected. Health authorities advise drinking water regularly, avoiding strenuous outdoor work between noon and 4 pm during heatwaves, and checking on elderly people and infants, who are most at risk.