Strong El Niño could push 2027 global temperatures to a record

Can warnings keep pace with climate risks?

The number of countries reporting multi-hazard early-warning systems rose from 56 in 2015 to 136 in 2025. These systems issue alerts for more than one hazard, including heat and storms.

Saulo urged governments at COP31 to strengthen global climate observations and provide adequate funding for early-warning systems. She said: “We cannot afford to fly blind,” stressing that sustained observations worldwide help anticipate climate risks and protect lives.

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell called the climate crisis a global health emergency. He said extreme heat, pollution and climate-related disasters are pressuring health systems.

Stiell estimated that heatwaves during the northern summer killed about 50,000 people across Europe. Hundreds of millions were exposed to extreme heat in southern Asia, he said. “The climate crisis is now a global health crisis of pandemic proportions,” Stiell said.

He highlighted particular threats to pregnant women, newborns and maternal health. He linked those impacts to continued fossil-fuel consumption and deforestation, and said health would remain central to COP31, building on progress at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

What changes do leaders advocate?

Stiell urged countries to accelerate electrification, meaning a shift from fossil fuels to electric systems, and clean-energy adoption. He warned that continued fossil-fuel dependence would raise costs for households, businesses and governments.

Stiell framed the choice in economic terms. He said: “At this COP, nations face a choice: electric or shock. Rewire the global economy for the electric age. Or accept ongoing fossil fuel cost pain for families, firms, and governments.”

Alan Dangour, Wellcome's Director of Climate and Health, said fossil-fuel-related air pollution and extreme heat cause an estimated 3 million-plus deaths each year. He said climate change already affects communities through extreme heat, drought and changing water conditions.

The effects extend to food security, sanitation and livelihoods, Dangour said. He identified four available responses:

• Cleaner energy
• Electrification
• Heat early-warning systems
• Adaptation measures, or practical steps designed to reduce climate harm

Where is health funding going?

The Climate and Health Funders Coalition awarded more than $225 million in its first year. Dangour said the funding supported four intervention areas:

• Extreme heat
• Air pollution
• Climate-sensitive infectious diseases, which can change in spread or severity with climate conditions
• Data systems

Established at COP30, the coalition began with an initial $300 million joint commitment from Wellcome and more than 35 philanthropic organisations. It has since attracted another $150 million in funding commitments.

Dangour urged governments and businesses to put human health at the centre of climate policy, prioritizing children, pregnant women, outdoor workers and older people. He said: “We must change course and put the health and wellbeing of people at the heart of our response to climate change.”