Climate change driving disease spread, deaths from heat: Report

Climate change poses a growing threat to human health in a variety of record-breaking ways, a major report said on Oct 30, with experts warning that "wasted time has been paid in lives".

The new report was released as heatwaves, fires, hurricanes, droughts and floods have lashed the world during what is expected to surpass 2023 to become the hottest year on record.

It also comes just weeks before the United Nations COP29 talks will be held in Azerbaijan - and days before a US election that could see climate change sceptic Donald Trump return to the White House.

The eighth Lancet Countdown on health and climate change, developed by 122 experts including from UN agencies such as the World Health Organisation, painted a dire picture of death and delay.

Out of 15 indicators that the experts have been tracking over the last eight years, 10 have "reached concerning new records", the report said.

These include increasing extreme weather events, elderly deaths from heat, the spread of infectious diseases, and people going without food as droughts and floods hit crops.