A new report by the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change paints a grim picture of the future as it warns that heat-related deaths could increase by nearly five-fold by 2050 if current trends continue.
The report also projects that heatwaves could lead to an additional 524.9 million people experiencing moderate-to-severe food insecurity by 2041-60.
The report's findings are a stark reminder of the urgent need for action on climate change.
Climate inaction is already costing lives and livelihoods, and the new global projections reveal the grave and mounting threat to health of further delayed action.
The report also found that oil and gas companies are further reducing their compliance with the Paris Agreement, driven in part by record profits.
As of early 2023, the strategies of the world's 20 largest oil and gas companies will result in emissions surpassing levels consistent with the Paris Agreement goals by 173% in 2040, an increase of 61% from 2022.
The report calls for a "people-centred transformation" that puts health at the heart of climate action.
This includes redirecting subsidies, lending, investment, and other financial flows away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy sources.
The report also suggests health-centred urban redesign that promotes safe active travel, reduces building and transport-based air pollution and emissions, and increases resilience to climate hazards.
