The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change: Ensuring That the Health of a Child Born Today Is Not Defined by a Changing Climate

This Lancet Countdown’s 2019 report tracks 41 indicators across five categories in health and climate change—climate change impacts, exposures, and vulnerability; health adaptation, planning, and resilience; mitigation actions and health co-benefits; finance and economics; and public and political engagement. The report—the product of a global, multidisciplinary research collaboration between 35 leading academic institutions, the United Nations (UN), and intergovernmental agencies from every continent—lays out two possibilities: “business as usual” and a response that redirects the world to a future well below two degrees Celsius. The focus of this year’s report is the effects of climate change on the health and development of children—with a child born today experiencing a world that is four degrees warmer than the pre-industrial era with higher levels of air pollution and increased frequencies of extreme weather events. Current trends in heat waves, infectious disease, and food security give a glimpse of future challenges the world will face if temperatures continue rising.

The Lancet Countdown builds on the success of the 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change, and provides a global overview of the relationship between public health and climate change. The Countdown actively seeks to engage new experts and partners, as well as integrate existing monitoring processes such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the World Health Organization’s Country Profiles. The companion website site offers access to related data, publications, infographics, multimedia content, webinars, and news. The 2019 report is accompanied by additional resources such as country-specific policy briefings, a video summary, and an interactive data portal.