United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell is set to warn that extreme heat is posing a significant threat to pregnant women and their newborns. Speaking at the "pre-COP" summit in Nadi, Fiji, Stiell will cite a new survey showing that more than two-thirds of health professionals across five continents have seen complications caused by intense heat in the past five years. The survey was commissioned by charitable foundation Wellcome and involved 1000 midwives and doctors from the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Brazil, and Zimbabwe.
The survey found that nearly all midwives and doctors had cared for mothers or babies suffering the effects of extreme heat. Health professionals reported cases of premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight, and maternal complications, all of which were linked to extreme heat. About a third of respondents said they had seen cases of low birth weight or restricted growth, feeding difficulties, and dehydration or heat-related illness, all resulting from what they believed was extreme heat.
Stiell will tell pre-COP delegates that "pregnancy should be a time of hope", but for millions, it is becoming a time of anxiety, as climate impacts fill everyday life with risk. He will emphasize that climate-driven extreme heat during pregnancy is increasingly linked to adverse outcomes, including premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight, and maternal complications. The UN climate chief will call for urgent action to address this issue, warning that the picture is clear and very disturbing.
The pre-COP31 summit in Fiji and the remote coral atoll Tuvalu is seen by Pacific leaders as a chance to draw attention to life on the frontline of climate change. The summit is a precursor to the larger UN-sponsored global climate summit, known as COP31, to be held next month in Turkey. The issue of climate change and its impacts on vulnerable populations, including pregnant women and newborns, is expected to be high on the agenda.
Scientists warn that climate change is making extreme weather events more intense and resulting in heat records tumbling more often. Around 33 countries, spanning from western Europe to the Sahel and central America, recorded their hottest July since records began this year, according to AFP analysis of data from the European Union's Copernicus climate observatory. This trend is expected to continue, with severe consequences for pregnant women and newborns.
Wellcome chairwoman and former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said that mothers and babies are being put at increasing risk as a result of climate change. She emphasized that extreme heat is an invisible killer, but pregnant women must not be invisible. Gillard called on leaders to act, saying they have the evidence and solutions they need to address this issue.
The UN climate chief's warning comes as the world grapples with the impacts of climate change. Stiell will urge leaders to take action to mitigate the effects of extreme heat on pregnant women and newborns. The goal is to prevent this issue from becoming another deep chasm of climate-driven suffering, inequality, and injustice.
Key points
- Climate-driven extreme heat during pregnancy is increasingly linked to premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight, and maternal complications.
- A survey of 1000 midwives and doctors found that more than two-thirds had seen complications caused by intense heat in the past five years.
- The UN climate chief is calling for urgent action to address the risks posed by extreme heat to pregnant women and newborns.
