Nearly 150 researchers urge declaring climate change a global health emergency

The short version

• Nearly 150 researchers from more than 30 countries are calling for climate change to be declared a global health emergency.[Deutsche Welle]
• The Lancet Countdown report attributes more than half a million heat deaths in 2023 and an estimated $1.07 trillion in lost potential income last year to climate change.[Deutsche Welle]
• Heat reportedly wiped out 573 billion potential working hours in 2025, and heat waves and droughts pushed nearly 128 million more people into food insecurity in 2024.[Deutsche Welle]
• The report also says government net fossil fuel subsidies doubled since 2016 to $6.2 trillion.[Deutsche Welle]

Key facts

• Nearly 150 researchers from more than 30 countries are calling for climate change to be declared a global health emergency.[Deutsche Welle]
• The Lancet Countdown report attributes more than half a million heat deaths in 2023 and nearly 3 million since 2016 to climate change.[Deutsche Welle]
• Heat was estimated to cost the world $1.07 trillion in lost potential income last year, according to the Lancet Countdown.[Deutsche Welle]
• Heat wiped out 573 billion potential working hours in 2025, according to the Lancet report.[Deutsche Welle]
• Heat waves and droughts pushed nearly 128 million more people into food insecurity in 2024, compared with the 1981–2010 average.[Deutsche Welle]
• Government net subsidies for fossil fuels have doubled since 2016 to $6.2 trillion.[Deutsche Welle]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Experts urge 'global health emergency' as climate harms accelerateDeutsche Welle