The 2024 Lancet Countdown Report on Health and Climate Change urgently calls for redirecting the trillions spent on fossil fuels to support a transition to a net-zero economy, aiming to protect billions of people from worsening health crises driven by climate change.
This year's report reveals the most alarming findings yet. In 2023 alone, record-breaking heat waves, deadly weather events, and devastating wildfires affected lives worldwide. Climate inaction and relentless fossil fuel expansion intensify these health risks and threaten to undo any progress toward a healthier future.
Despite clear warnings, financial investments continue to flow into fossil fuel industries, undermining public health. Redirecting these investments could enable a fair shift to clean energy, benefitting health, equity, and the economy.
The report, now in its eighth year, draws on the work of 122 experts from 57 institutions, including the World Health Organization (WHO). It was published before the 29th UN Climate Conference (COP29) and highlights critical data linking health to climate impacts. Findings include record-high nighttime temperatures affecting sleep, increased risk of infectious diseases, and extreme weather driving economic losses of $227 billion annually between 2019 and 2023.
The year 2023 marked the hottest year on record, with catastrophic heat waves, droughts, and fires that significantly affected health and livelihoods globally. Heat-related deaths surged among older adults, with a 167% increase since the 1990s, exacerbating existing inequities, especially in low-income regions. Further, high temperatures limited labour productivity and caused a staggering $835 billion in potential income loss globally, impacting GDP in low- and middle-income countries.
The report also highlights that climate change has expanded the range of deadly mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue, which reached an all-time high in 2023, affecting over five million people in 80 countries. While adaptation efforts have increased, they lag behind the accelerating health impacts of climate change, leaving vulnerable populations, especially at risk.
Meanwhile, governments and companies continue to bolster fossil fuel industries, with global carbon emissions reaching an all-time high in 2023. Fossil fuels now account for 80.3% of the global energy mix—a setback in the shift toward clean energy. Fossil fuel subsidies have risen, reaching $1.4 trillion in 2022, overshadowing commitments made to support climate action and posing a substantial burden on health budgets worldwide.
The report underscores that oil and gas companies and government policies are worsening the climate crisis. Over 182 million hectares of forest have been lost since 2016, reducing the planet's natural ability to absorb carbon emissions. Increased red meat and dairy consumption has also contributed to higher agricultural emissions, further harming public health.
Despite these challenges, some positive trends offer hope. Deaths from fossil-fuel-related air pollution decreased by nearly 7% from 2016 to 2021, primarily due to reduced coal use. Clean energy sources accounted for 10.5% of global electricity in 2021, nearly double the share from 2016. Investment in clean energy is rising, reaching $1.9 trillion in 2023, and the renewable energy sector is now a significant source of employment, with 13.7 million jobs worldwide.
An equitable future depends on financial system reform, prioritising health in climate policy to bridge health inequities, particularly for the most vulnerable. Individual, corporate, and institutional engagement with climate health issues is expanding, indicating that a healthier, sustainable future remains within reach.
Source: The Lancet
Image Credit: iStock
