Extreme heat caused 710,000 deaths in a single year, surpassing malaria and HIV / 146 experts call for climate change to be declared a global health emergency

A group of 146 experts from more than 30 countries is calling for climate change to be officially declared a global health emergency after extreme heat caused a record number of deaths in 2023. The appeal appears in the latest Lancet Countdown report, coordinated by University College London and the World Health Organization and published ahead of the UN COP31 climate conference.

According to the report, extreme heat contributed to approximately 710,000 deaths in 2023, exceeding the annual death tolls associated with malaria or HIV. More than 70% of these deaths were attributed directly to human-caused warming. Between 2016 and 2023, nearly three million people died as a result of the effects of climate change.

The impact also extended to the economy. Heat-related productivity losses exceeded one trillion dollars annually over the past three years, while in 2025 severe drought affected nearly 52% of the planet’s land surface.

The experts are calling for a coordinated response from the WHO and for health to be integrated into all climate decisions. The report also notes progress, such as record investment in clean energy, but warns that it remains insufficient.