The 2022 Report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change: Health at the Mercy of Fossil Fuels

This report from The Lancet presents the latest data on health and climate change, reporting on 43 indicators spanning five major areas: health hazards, exposures, and impacts; adaptation, planning, and resilience; mitigation actions and health co-benefits; economics and finance; and public and political engagement.

This year's report focuses specifically on the global overdependence on fossil fuels, finding that persistent fossil fuel use is compounding the health impacts of climate change on the world's populations. The 2022 report outlines the concurrent crises facing countries and health systems worldwide, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and growing energy and cost-of-living crises–and outlines how climate change has furthered the detrimental impacts of these events. 

The authors find that more frequent heatwaves, droughts, and other climate events will continue to impact food security, agricultural production, and the spread of infectious diseases. The report warns that prioritizing fossil fuels will continue to jeopardize people's health and the future of the planet. The report calls for a health-centered, low-carbon response and a shift to clean energies that will not only avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change but protect the health and well-being of populations in the future.

This report is a publication of the Lancet Countdown, an independent, international collaboration spanning 43 academic and UN institutions to monitor and track climate change and its emerging health consequences worldwide. The collaboration draws on the expertise of climate scientists, economists, social and political scientists, experts in energy and transportation, and public health professionals. The 2022 edition is accompanied by infographics and a data visualization which explores key findings from the report. The report also includes policy briefs for several key countries.