The climate crisis is a health crisis that demands a systemic response

The Lancet’s new 2025 Countdown sets out that 12 of the 20 indicators used to track the health risks and impacts of climate change have reached record highs. As COP30 approaches, the publication focuses minds on the importance of addressing climate-related health impacts. This concerning trend is a key consideration for boards, and the findings can support informed decision-making when approaching transition.  

The COVID-19 pandemic sent shockwaves through the world economy and made clear the major disruption that a global health emergency can cause. Between late February and late March 2020, FTSE 100 shares lost almost 13% of their value, wiping £210 billion off the index and representing the FTSE 100's worst year since the 2008 financial crisis in 2020. The UK also saw an 11% increase in company insolvencies compared to 2020 according to the Office for National Statistics.  

A continued rise in global temperatures makes future pandemics and the significant damage they inflict a more likely prospect according to the new report, which identifies the trend replicated in increased cases of Dengue fever, Malaria, and other damaging infectious diseases.  

An unstable climate leads to an increase in extreme weather events, which generate significant health consequences across the world. The Lancet highlights the fact that climate change has seen a 23% increase in heat-related deaths since the 1990s, up to 546,000 a year. Similarly, the risk of wildfires is rising, with severe impacts evidenced in record-high deaths from the air pollution that they generated in 2024.  

"The climate crisis is a health crisis. Every fraction of a degree of warming costs lives and livelihoods," said Jeremy Farrar, Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and Care at the World Health Organization (WHO). Without a systemic approach, supported by business, these health impacts will have cascading effects for people and economies in the coming decades.  

This applies to food security too, the cornerstone of a functioning economic system. The heightened number of heatwaves recorded in this study maintains a direct correlation with food insecurity, noting that 123.7 million more people have been impacted by scarcity due to climate-change induced weather events. In the UK, food security remains a strategic vulnerability due to reliance on just in time supply chains. Disruption in this area would have knock-on impacts for the retail and hospitality industry.  

The health consequences of climate change have real implications for businesses, and boards have a crucial role to play in making the case for ambitious action and setting a long-term vision that addresses the problem. Proactive leadership now mitigates future risk while creating the opportunity for value creation through innovation and a healthy workforce.  

Inaction risks the degradation of value chains that are fundamental to our economic systems. The World Economic Forum notes that neglecting adaptation to climate-driven health risks could cost the global economy at least $1.5 trillion in lost productivity by 2050 across food and agriculture, built environment, and health and healthcare. 

Many solutions are already available when it comes to mitigation, as Dr Marina Romanello, Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown at University College London sets out: “We already have the solutions at hand to avoid a climate catastrophe – and communities and local governments around the world are proving that progress is possible. From clean energy growth to city adaptation, action is underway and delivering real health benefits – but we must keep up the momentum.” 

Looking ahead to COP30 in Belém, these insights demonstrate the importance of ensuring that health-centred climate action is on the agenda at the summit. The gathering of world leaders provides an opportunity to accelerate systemic change that can reverse the trend.  

It also brings the issue to the fore for board leaders, demonstrating not only the human impact of climate change on our health, but also the wider risk for economic systems and value chains. Solutions rely on leadership, collaboration and engagement to establish resilient business models that drive the transition forward and protect our future health.