WHO Says Fossil Fuel Dependence Triggers Health Crisis Worldwide
(MENAFN) A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that unchecked reliance on fossil fuels and sluggish adaptation to a rapidly warming planet are inflicting severe and escalating damage on global health.
The 2025 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, released Wednesday in partnership with the WHO, reveals that 12 of 20 key health indicators have surged to record highs. The findings underscore how global inaction on climate is exacting a deadly toll, overwhelming health systems, and eroding economic stability.
According to the report, heat-related mortality has risen 23 percent since the 1990s, with an average of 546,000 deaths every year now linked to extreme heat.
At the same time, worsening weather disasters fueled by climate change pushed 124 million additional people into food insecurity in 2023. The economic costs are staggering — heat exposure led to productivity losses worth 1.09 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024, the report found.
"The climate crisis is a health crisis. Every fraction of a degree of warming costs lives and livelihoods," said Jeremy Farrar, assistant director-general for health promotion and disease prevention and care at WHO.
The findings add to mounting evidence that the climate emergency is no longer a future threat but an ongoing catastrophe affecting millions worldwide.
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