Heat-related mortality rises 68%, according to Lancet report

The climate crisis advances the world and deepens the negative effects on the human foundations of well-being and health. Heat-related mortality of people over 65 years old increased by 68% between the periods 2000-2004 and 2017-2021, a situation exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Very high temperatures can contribute to heart attacks, strokes (Cerebrovascular Accidents) and cardiovascular disease in general.

The annual Lancet Countdown report, published this Wednesday (26) by The Lancet magazine, points out that all continents have experienced climatic extremes.

According to the document, there was an increase of about 29% of the areas in the world affected by extreme droughts, for at least one month in the year, in the comparison between 2012-2021 and 1951-1960.

The exposure of the most vulnerable (elderly and young children) to heat waves also increased.

One of the points to be taken into account when talking about global temperature rise is the greater availability of areas conducive to infectious diseases and the greater risks of epidemics.

According to the authors, coastal areas are becoming increasingly suitable for transmission of vibrio pathogens.

Furthermore, in the higher regions of the Americas, the number of months conducive to malaria transmission rose by 31.3% comparing the period 1951-60 and 2012-21.

In the higher areas of Africa, the advance was 13.8%. Not to mention dengue, which had an increase in the probability of transmission of 12%, in the same period mentioned above.

The Lancet report also points to estimates of economic damage associated with the climate crisis. Around 470 billion potential working hours were lost worldwide in 2021 due to heat exposure.

The direct damages caused by extreme events in 2021 are estimated at around US$ 253 billion, a loss that is especially more serious in countries with a low HDI (Human Development Index), where insurance on assets is normally rarer.

Another point addressed by the report is the threat that the climate crisis creates for food security. According to dozens of authors who produced the document, for the period 1981-2010, more than 98 million people would have been affected by moderate or severe food insecurity in 2020 as a result of extreme heat.

With the greater fragility of health as a result of the climate crisis, of course health services end up being more requested. However, the authors point out that only 48 out of 95 countries analyzed claim to have assessed their adaptation needs to the climate crisis in this area.

The report recalls that 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, when countries committed to preventing the negative effects of climate change on human health. “However, there has been little significant action since then,” the authors write, citing the world’s high dependence on fossil fuels for energy production.

At the same time, the situation for energy access in low HDI countries remains problematic – the number of people without access to electricity grew in 2020, due to socio-economic pressures from Covid.

According to the authors, it is estimated that about 59% of health services in low- and middle-income countries do not have access to stable energy to provide basic care to the population.

“Simultaneously, oil and gas companies are posting record profits, with their production strategies continually harming people’s lives and well-being,” say the report’s authors.

With the world’s overlapping crises — the war in Ukraine, for example, exacerbating social and energy problems — the report says efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can be put on hold.

Even the chance to use the global health crisis for a greener recovery has not materialized, say the authors. According to them, less than a third of the more than $3.11 trillion earmarked for economic recovery from the pandemic is likely to translate into reduced emissions or air pollution, meaning the money for recovery will likely be tied to increased emissions.

The document states that the current crisis needs to have a health-centered response, which would lead to opportunities based on a more resilient future with lower carbon participation.

“The indicators show that countries and companies continue to make choices that threaten the health and survival of people around the world,” the report states. “In the current critical juncture, an immediate, health-focused response can still secure a future in which the world’s populations can not only survive, but thrive.”