Climate and health at a critical juncture

The climate crisis is an ongoing environmental, social, and health equity threat multiplier that poses serious harm to public and planetary health. Over the past two decades, climate-related disasters have increased, with heatwaves, floods, droughts, severe storms, and wildfires affecting over 4 billion people and causing the death of over 1.2 million people globally [1]. Heatwave exposure contributes to nearly half a million deaths each year [2], while climate-sensitive diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, malaria, foodborne and waterborne infections are expanding into new regions, including non-endemic areas, due to improved habitat suitability [3–5]. Health systems, particularly in low- and middle-resource settings, are being overwhelmed by the combined pressures of climate disruption, conflicts and political uncertainty, demographic change, and ensuing economic instability. The economic burden of climate-related health impacts has already reached hundreds of billions of dollars annually and is projected to rise steeply if mitigation and adaptation remain insufficient [6].