UN climate summit opens in Antalya, Türkiye
The UN climate summit COP31 opens on 9 November in Antalya, Türkiye, and runs until 20 November. UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell says climate change is now a global health crisis of pandemic proportions. The Lancet Countdown 2026 links fossil fuel burning and climate change to an estimated 3.3 million deaths each year from outdoor air pollution and extreme heat. A World Meteorological Organization report says the last 12 years have been the warmest on record, with the last four, including 2026, ranking as the four warmest.
Key facts
- Rising temperatures, drought and heavy rainfall can drive heat illness, malnutrition and waterborne diseases such as cholera, malaria and dengue.
- Stiell says health should be at the centre of climate action, as climate risks expose weaknesses in health systems.
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Why it matters
Officials frame the summit around the health effects of warming, which affect populations worldwide.
What changed
First published from Euronews