Wellcome responds to the Lancet Countdown Global Report

In response to this year's Lancet Countdown, Professor Charlotte Watts, Executive Director, Solutions at Wellcome says:

“This year’s Lancet Countdown is crystal clear about the global leadership we need: as the widespread impacts of climate change on lives and livelihoods become ever more visible, we know that urgent climate action will have significant benefits for health.

"We must act now to protect communities from increasing floods, droughts, wildfires, and storms - and safeguard the systems that underpin health: clean energy, food, water, and resilient healthcare.  Adaptation to climate change cannot remain a side issue – and political leadership will be essential to keep people, especially the most vulnerable, healthy and safe.

“Progress is being held back by underfunding and wavering political will. This must change. At COP30, governments have a chance to accelerate health-centred climate action. Addressing the sources of climate change and investing in climate change adaptation will save people’s lives, strengthen economies, and cut emissions to secure a better future.”

Commenting on the heat-related statistics, Dr Alan Dangour, Director of Climate & Health at Wellcome, said:

"These alarming figures reveal just how ill-equipped we are to cope with extreme heat - and they likely only scratch the surface.

“Extreme heat doesn’t just kill - it raises the risk of cardiovascular disease, pregnancy complications, and poor mental health. It also drives crop failures and wildfires, which in turn threaten food security and air quality - both critical to our health.

“We must act now to cut the causes of climate change and urgently adapt to a future where extreme heat is the norm. That means investing in public health protections - cooling public spaces through green infrastructure, expanding tree cover, and designing heat-resilient cities."