Climate change threatens to unravel decades of progress on improving human health, a major report warned on Thursday.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said that extreme heat, air pollution and the disruption of food systems would accelerate the spread of disease.
Around 489,000 people died due to extreme heat between 2000 and 2019, according to estimates by the UN agency. Nearly half (45 per cent) of these fatalities occurred in Asia, with more than a third (36 per cent) in Europe.
In 2022 alone, more than 60,000 people died in Europe as one of the most severe heatwaves on record swept through the continent.
The findings come a month after the UN published its global analysis in which it warned that the world is not on track to meet its Paris Agreement goals of stopping the average global temperature rising 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
Scientists have said there is still time to reverse the trend if countries take stronger action on reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
The WMO’s state of climate services for health report, compiled with the help of more than 40 global organisations, warns that “more must be done to prepare the health community for future shocks and pressures” caused by climate change.
Deaths from extreme heat are most likely to occur in Central and South America, southern Europe, southern and Southeast Asia and Africa.
If temperatures continue to rise, the WMO estimates that there could be as many as 30 times more heat-related deaths.
Rising heat and the growing over-65 population has already led to a 68 per cent increase in heat-related deaths for this age group between 2017 and 2021, compared to 2000 and 2004, the figures show.
Worsening droughts and heatwaves mean there are 98 million more people across 103 countries reporting moderate to severe food insecurity in 2020 than during the years 1981-2010, according to the report.
WMO secretary-general Professor Petteri Taalas said: “Practically the whole planet has experienced heatwaves this year.
“The onset of El Nino in 2023 will greatly increase the likelihood of breaking temperature records further, triggering more extreme heat in many parts of the world and in the ocean – and making the challenge even greater.”
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said: “The climate crisis is a health crisis, driving more severe and unpredictable weather events, fuelling disease outbreaks and contributing to higher rates of noncommunicable diseases.
“By working together to make high-quality climate services more accessible to the health sector, we can help to protect the health and wellbeing of people facing the perils of climate change.”
