A Life a Minute: Human Toll of Delayed Climate Action

One person dies every minute in the world due to heatwave-related health complications. Yes, one life snuffed out per minute.

This means that, by the end of 2025, more than 500,000 lives will have been lost to heat exposure alone. When you factor in fatalities from other climate disasters, the number runs into millions.

This astonishing revelation is contained in the 2025 edition of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, which makes for a grim reading.

Over the last year, 12 out of the 20 indicators tracking health risks associated with climate change set ‘‘concerning new records’’, according to the report.

Health impacts of heatwaves

Climate change is now responsible for 16 out of the 19 life-threatening heatwaves in the world today. Infants and persons older than 65 years are the most vulnerable group to heat. Last year, both groups were exposed to more heatwave days by up to 340 percent compared to previous years.

Since the 1990s, heat-related deaths have increased by a staggering 63 percent.

Exposure to extreme heat reduces a person’s sleep quality and the ability to work and exercise. Overall, these factors can significantly impact an individual’s physical and mental health.

Extreme droughts and extreme suffering

Between 2015 and 2024, 61 percent of the global land area was affected by extreme droughts. This is nearly 300 percent more land scorched by droughts than 70 years ago, and a new record.

These droughts are compounding water scarcity and food insecurity in a world where 700 million people are already at risk of starvation.

Changing climatic conditions are also raising the prevalence and transmission of deadly infectious diseases, particularly in the tropics.

How economies are taking a beating

A country is as wealthy as the health of its population.

Health impacts of climate change strain the economy by reducing the productivity of a country’s human capital. When workers are constantly sick, absenteeism from work rises and health systems are overburdened.

In 2024 alone, a record 639 billion potential work hours were lost due to heat exposure, including heatwaves. This is 98 percent more hours lost than during the 1990s.

In financial terms, this is equivalent to $1.1 trillion lost, or the combined GDPs of Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Angola wiped out.

What the report says about Climate Adaptation

Today, the vulnerability of poor people in Africa and globally to climate impacts is rising. But even as climate hazards mount fuelling violent storms, heatwaves and droughts, the rollout of adaptation measures is seriously lagging.

The report highlights another undeniable fact. Financial support for adaptation is ‘‘grossly insufficient’’ to cover the existing and growing needs, with a yawning gap in adaptation finance.

While the risks of extreme weather events have continued to grow, insurance coverage for associated losses is moving in the opposite direction, falling from 67 percent in 2014 to 54 percent last year.

To adequately adapt, Africa, for instance, requires an average of $250 billion annually. In 2023, the continent received only $14 billion for adaptation.

At the same time, reduced foreign aid and total withdrawal of support by some governments further leaves populations around the world unprotected, notes the report.

Relentless emissions and the impending doomsday

Decades of warnings from scientists notwithstanding, global emissions have continued to rise uninhibited. In 2024, the world surpassed the mean annual temperature rise of 1.5˚ Celsius above preindustrial levels for the first time.

If emissions don’t drastically fall soon, the world could break the 2.7˚ Celsius threshold by the end of this century, making the planet virtually unlivable.

What must happen

In the face of minimal adaptation support, authors of the report want the world to accelerate resilience-building efforts, ‘‘minimise impacts and save lives.’’

They, however, admit that these alone won’t protect humanity, noting that ‘‘simultaneous and effective mitigation is essential’’ to keep adaptation feasible.

‘‘Increasing access to affordable, off-grid and renewable electricity is essential to tackle the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions and reduce climate risks,’’ say the report authors.

Coming just days before COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the authors are calling for international cooperation through multilateralism, technology transfer, knowledge sharing and capacity building to boost climate action and lower the human toll of the climate carnage.

In Belém, Africa will be demanding equitable climate finance and the fulfillment of existing financial pledges to address the socioeconomic impacts of climate change.

There will be particular emphasis on adaptation and the reform of multilateral development banks (MDBs) to better align with Africa’s climate and development needs, goals and priorities.