intensity and duration of heatwaves.”
153bn hours of work were lost in 2017 due to extreme heat, 80% of it in agriculture. Almost half the losses were in India, equivalent to 7% of its total working population, while China lost the equivalent of 1.4% of its workers. “This has led to vast losses for economies and household budgets,” said Prof Joacim Rocklöv of Umeå University in Sweden.
Relatively small changes in temperatures and rainfall could cause large changes in the transmission of infectious diseases spread via water and mosquitoes. The ability of the dengue fever virus to be transmitted reached a record high in 2016, according to the report. The danger from cholera risk was also rising in regions such as the Baltic states where the sea has been warming rapidly.
"It is clear that climate change is directly impacting our health," said Howard Frumkin, head of the Wellcome Trust. "All sectors must prioritise action on climate change affecting generations to come."
Prof Paul Ekins, of University College London, said the health benefits of tackling climate change had long been undervalued, with just 5% of funding for adaptation to global warming being spent on health. The Lancet report noted some promising trends, such as the phase-out of coal and the
|