In brief
A global report from the Lancet Countdown 2026, led by University College London and the World Health Organization, details rapidly rising climate‑driven health hazards and the death toll from heat waves. Despite record clean‑energy investment, fossil fuels still supply most electricity, contributing millions of deaths each year.
Sydney, November 6, 2026: Experts have called for climate change to be declared a global health emergency, warning that its impacts on human health are accelerating worldwide, according to a global report involving researchers in Australia.
The 2026 Report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, produced by 146 researchers from 71 institutions, found that many climate‑related health risks grew faster in the decade following the 2015 Paris Agreement than in the decade before.
Flu‑like spikes from heat were linked to an estimated average of 540,800 deaths per year between 2016 and 2023, with climate change responsible for about 68 percent of those deaths, according to the study.
In 2023, the hottest year of the period, heat was linked to a record 710,000 deaths globally, more than 70 percent attributable to human‑caused climate change, the report said.
Heat exposure is projected to cause an estimated 573 billion potential work hours lost in 2025 and 1.07 trillion U.S. dollars in potential income losses.
While global clean‑energy investment reached a record 2.1 trillion dollars in 2025, fossil fuels still supplied more than 80 percent of the world's electricity, with pollution from those fuels linked to an estimated 2.73 million deaths annually.
University College London led the study in strategic collaboration with the World Health Organization, highlighting the urgent need for policy action.
Seven researchers from the University of Sydney contributed to the analysis, underscoring the role of Australian scientists in the global effort.
The Lancet Countdown 2026 report calls for immediate, coordinated action to limit warming and mitigate health risks, urging governments to treat climate change as an ongoing public‑health emergency.
Stakeholders emphasize that, despite increased investment in clean energy, the persistence of fossil‑fuel dominance continues to pose substantial mortality and morbidity risks worldwide.
Health Risks on the Rise
A key finding of the report is the rapid rise in heat‑related deaths, a trend that underscores the direct human toll of climate change across diverse regions.
Economic and Workforce Impact
Estimations of lost work hours and income losses illustrate how climate‑driven health hazards strain economies of nations, affecting productivity and livelihoods at a global scale.