CMCC’s researcher Shouro Dasgupta contributed to annual health and climate change report published in The Lancet, revealing alarming climate health impacts, and calling for an urgent shift in global policy.

Shouro Dasgupta, a researcher with the CMCC Foundation, contributed new findings to the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change’s eighth annual global report, which highlights the rising health risks posed by climate change, with worsening effects worldwide. The report points to the dangers of ongoing fossil fuel investments and inadequate funding for climate resilience, underscoring that these choices are increasing health vulnerabilities in many regions.

In this year’s report, Dasgupta and Professor Elizabeth Robinson from the London School of Economics, find that heatwaves and droughts, exacerbated by climate change, contributed to 151 million more people experiencing food insecurity in 2022 than in the baseline period of 1981-2010. “Our findings indicate that climate-induced food insecurity is now extending into high-income countries and affecting wealthier populations,” Dasgupta notes.

The report reveals record-setting impacts in 2023, as people globally endured, on average, 50 more days of dangerously high temperatures than would be expected in a stable climate. Additionally, extreme drought covered nearly half (48%) of the world’s land area, marking the second-highest level on record. These findings underscore the urgency of climate action, as the report warns that fossil fuel investments and emissions growth are limiting the global community’s ability to adapt and respond effectively.

Authors shine a light on governments and companies “fuelling the fire” with persistent investment in fossil fuels, all-time high energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, and years of delays in adaptation that are narrowing the survival chances of people across the globe.

Moreover, the report underscores that the financial resources to deliver net-zero emissions and secure a healthy future are available. Yet governments and companies are spending trillions of dollars on fossil fuel subsidies and investments that are making climate change worse—money that could be redirected towards clean renewable energy and activities that benefit people’s health, livelihoods and wellbeing.

Despite these urgent warnings, the Lancet Countdown report offers a hopeful vision, presenting opportunities to prioritize health in the global climate response, especially with the upcoming ‘finance’ COP29 discussions in Azerbaijan. By emphasizing the intersection of health and climate action, the Lancet Countdown report contributes to the evidence needed to inform the negotiations, and deliver truly health-protecting climate change action.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, responding to the report (though he did not contribute to its findings), commented, “Record-high emissions are posing record-breaking threats to our health. We must cure the sickness of climate inaction – by slashing emissions, protecting people from climate extremes, and ending our fossil fuel addiction – to create a fairer, safer, and healthier future for all.”

The Lancet Countdown is supported by Wellcome and operates in partnership with the World Health Organization and University College London’s Institute for Global Health. The global report represents contributions from 122 experts from 57 institutions and UN agencies globally.

For more information, visit the Lancet Countdown website.