Wellcome responds to the 2024 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change

New global findings in the 8th annual indicator report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change reveal that people in every country face record-breaking threats to health and survival from the rapidly changing climate, with 10 of 15 indicators tracking health threats reaching concerning new records.

In 2023, people were exposed to, on average, an unprecedented 50 more days of health-threatening temperatures than expected without climate change. Extreme drought affected 48% of the global land area - the second-highest level recorded – and the higher frequency of heatwaves and droughts was associated with 151 million more people experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity than annually between 1981 and 2010.

Dr John-Arne Røttingen, Chief Executive Officer of Wellcome, said:

“Every year, we see more records being broken, with health harmed and lives lost. Behind each statistic, there is real pain and suffering. This report clearly shows what our future will look like if we continue to do too little to tackle climate change.

“COP29 can be a turning point in this fight, where countries can commit to more ambitious climate action that not only protects the planet, but also improves health. There is no time to waste.”