UN declares climate change a global health pandemic
Global temperatures hit 1.47 °C above pre-industrial levels, straining health systems and causing millions of deaths.
Global climate leaders and United Nations officials declared on November 9, 2026, that climate change has become a global health crisis of pandemic proportions. Rising temperatures, ocean heating, and drought are straining health systems and causing millions of premature deaths worldwide, according to a World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) update.
The WMO confirmed global temperatures are 1.47 °C above pre-industrial baselines from January to September 2026, making the past 12 years the warmest on record. El Niño conditions are expected to push sea-surface temperatures nearly four times the standard threshold between November 2026 and January 2027. UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell warned that climate destruction directly destabilises human physiology and national health infrastructures.
Extreme heat waves in 2026 caused an estimated 50,000 excess deaths in Europe, with dangerous heat spikes also recorded in India, Pakistan, and North America. African negotiators at COP31 in Antalya, including Ghana, are pushing for accessible adaptation funding and other finance and trade priorities.
Why it mattersAfrican negotiators, including those from Ghana, are pressing for climate finance and adaptation funding at COP31 in Antalya.