Researchers urge WHO to declare climate a global health emergency

Researchers at South Africa's Wits University have urged the World Health Organization to declare the climate crisis a public health emergency of international concern — the same designation used for Covid — arguing for a coordinated global response on that scale. Their case, published as a letter in The Lancet, leans on a University of Chicago Climate Impact Lab projection of an extra 451,000 deaths from extreme heat between June 2026 and February 2027, driven by this year's record-breaking El Niño.

The WHO has not responded yet. The call lands as pre-COP talks open in Fiji, with Pacific leaders urging action ahead of the conference.

Sources: Business Day