Climate change's health harms are outpacing action, prompting calls to declare a global health emergency

Summary

The 2026 Report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change finds that many health risks and harms of climate change grew faster in the decade after the Paris Agreement (2016–2025) than in the decade before it (2006–2015). Authors of the report warn that climate change should be declared a global health emergency because its impacts are intensifying faster than efforts to address them. Experts quoted by RTÉ say the impacts on human health are outpacing the action countries are taking.

Timeline

1. Phys.org

   28 Oct 2026, 00:10 UTCSource ↗

   Phys.org reports that the 2026 Lancet Countdown report finds many health risks and harms of climate change grew faster in 2016–2025 than in 2006–2015.

2. Euronews

   28 Oct 2026, 04:05 UTCSource ↗

   Euronews reports that authors of a major new report say climate change should be declared a global health emergency because its impacts intensify faster than action to address them.

3. RTÉ

   28 Oct 2026, 07:17 UTCSource ↗

   RTÉ reports that experts warn climate change should formally be declared a global health emergency because its impacts on human health are outpacing the action countries are taking.