Plate Nº 18 · recorded October 10, 2026
Health & Medicine ResearchReported finding
Researchers Urge WHO to Declare Climate Crisis a Global Health Emergency
A Lancet letter from Wits researchers urges the WHO to trigger its highest health alarm, citing 451,000 projected heat deaths by early 2027.
By Elena Vasquez3 min read658 words
In brief
- Researchers from Wits PHR and international partners call on the WHO to declare the climate crisis a PHEIC in a letter in The Lancet (2026).
- A Climate Impact Lab report conservatively predicts 451,000 additional heat deaths from June 2026 to February 2027.
- Only two of the four International Health Regulations criteria must be met to declare a PHEIC.
- Pregnant women, children, people with chronic illness and older adults face the highest climate-related health risks.
A letter published in The Lancet calls on the World Health Organization to declare the climate crisis a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) — a formal alarm mechanism the WHO has used only rarely in its history. Researchers from Wits Planetary Health Research (Wits PHR) at the University of the Witwatersrand, together with international partner institutions, argue that climate-driven health harms are already killing people worldwide and demand a coordinated global response.
The timing of the appeal rests on a stark number. A recent report by the Climate Impact Lab conservatively predicts an additional 451,000 heat deaths between June 2026 and February 2027. These are acute, international events happening now, the authors stress — not projections of some distant future.
What is a PHEIC, exactly?
A PHEIC — the abbreviation is pronounced "fake" — is the WHO's highest level of alarm for events that threaten health across borders. The declaration is grounded in the International Health Regulations (IHR), a legally binding framework that guides how countries detect and respond to health risks.
The IHR decision framework for notifying the WHO of a potential PHEIC weighs four criteria:
- serious public health impact;
- unusual or unexpected events;
- risk of international spread;
- potential impacts on travel and trade.
Only two of the four criteria need to be met. The letter's authors, led by Nicholas Brink and colleagues, argue that the climate crisis clears this bar comfortably and that the existing mechanism simply needs to be triggered.
Why do researchers say the threshold has been crossed?
According to the letter, climate change — supercharged by a record-breaking El Niño — now represents an extraordinary threat to public health. Extreme heat waves, floods, wildfires and droughts have already caused unprecedented health emergencies around the world, hitting hardest in regions least responsible for the crisis.
The documented health impacts include:
- heat-related illness and deaths;
- infectious disease outbreaks;
- food and water insecurity;
- mental health harms following extreme weather.
Pregnant women, children, people living with chronic illness and older adults face particularly high risks. Lower-income countries bear a disproportionate burden despite having fewer resources to respond, the authors write. The global health infrastructure, they add, is ill-prepared and under-resourced for what many consider the greatest public health threat of the 21st century.
What would a declaration actually change?
Matthew Chersich, professor and executive director at Wits PHR, laid out the case in direct terms. "A PHEIC would catalyze a more equitable and coordinated public health response, prioritizing care for affected populations, strengthening surveillance of impacts, while laying the platform for a public health approach to emissions reduction," he said.
In practice, the authors argue, a declaration would let the WHO issue time-bound recommendations while strengthening funding, surveillance, coordination and support for affected populations.
Importantly, the researchers do not propose replacing the existing UN climate process. A PHEIC would complement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) rather than override it, by placing health firmly at the center of the global response to the crisis.
What happens next?
The letter closes with a direct appeal to WHO and its member states: act while coordinated action can still reduce harm. The authors call on member states to lead by example, stand up for equity and justice, put the health of people and the planet first, and join a coalition asking the WHO to make the declaration.
It remains to be seen whether the WHO will take up the call. The decision to declare a PHEIC rests with the organization and its member states, and no timeline has been set for a response. The authors' argument, in essence, is that the legal tool already exists — and that the evidence, measured in lives lost and projected deaths, already justifies using it.
The letter appears as Nicholas Brink et al., "Declare the climate crisis a Public Health Emergency of International Concern," in The Lancet (2026), DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(26)01919-7.
via Medical Xpress (Source)
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