Millions dying yearly from climate neglect: report

AFP/APP 

Paris:  Climate change is ravaging global health, with policy failures leading to “millions” of preventable deaths each year, according to The Lancet’s Countdown 2024 report released on Wednesday.

The international team of experts warned that the world is facing an escalating health emergency as governments and corporations fail to act decisively on climate change. The report — published ahead of the UN COP30 climate summit in Brazil — said opportunities for a “just” climate transition remain “largely untapped,” despite overwhelming evidence of its human cost.

The study estimated that 546,000 people died every year between 2012 and 2021 due to heat exposure, a steep increase compared to the 1990s. Meanwhile, toxic wildfire fumes caused a record 154,000 deaths in 2023, while fossil fuel-related air pollution killed 2.5 million people in 2022 alone.

The experts said global temperatures in 2024 were the hottest on record, surpassing the 1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial levels for the first time. They warned that heatwaves, droughts, and heavy rains are increasingly destabilising planetary systems that sustain human life.

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The report also criticised continued fossil fuel subsidies, with governments spending $950 billion in 2023, naming Russia, Iran, Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and China among the top offenders. The figure, though lower than the 2022 record of $1.4 trillion, remains alarmingly high.

Calling for urgent investment in zero-carbon energy, climate-resilient infrastructure, and stronger health systems, the report urged world leaders to reverse harmful policies and prioritise public health.

“Climate change is increasingly destabilising the planetary systems and environmental conditions on which human life depends,” it said.

The report accused key decision-makers of “backsliding” on climate pledges and hailed community-level actors for stepping up where governments have failed.