A staggering one death every minute: The world's addiction to fossil fuels is killing people globally due to rising heat.
The latest report from University College London (UCL) paints a bleak picture of the devastating health impacts caused by climate change. With the world's addiction to fossil fuels, toxic air pollution, wildfires, and the spread of diseases like dengue fever, millions are dying each year as governments fail to tackle global heating. In fact, one heat-related death occurs every minute worldwide.
The report reveals that governments have been giving out $2.5 billion a day in direct subsidies to fossil fuel users and producers, while people are losing the same amount due to high temperatures preventing them from working on farms and building sites. This has led to significant economic losses, with exposure to life-threatening heat resulting in 639 billion hours of lost labor in 2024, equivalent to 6% of national GDP in the least developed nations.
The continued burning of fossil fuels not only heats the planet but also produces air pollution, causing millions of deaths a year. Wildfires are adding to the deaths caused by smoke, with a record 154,000 deaths recorded in 2024. Droughts and heatwaves damage crops and livestock, leading to food insecurity for 123 million more people in 2023.
The world's top fossil fuel companies have increased their production in the year up to March 2025, which would lead to carbon dioxide emissions three times those compatible with the Paris climate agreement target. Commercial banks are supporting this expansion, with the top 40 lenders collectively investing $611 billion in 2024.
Experts say that if we continue to finance fossil fuels, a healthy future is impossible. However, there is still hope from local communities and authorities who are taking action to address the climate crisis. The solutions exist, including clean energy, city adaptation, and healthier diets. As Dr Marina Romanello of UCL said, "We must keep up the momentum" to avoid a climate catastrophe.
The report's findings highlight the urgent need for governments and corporations to end their addiction to fossil fuels and transition to cleaner, renewable energy sources. The health sector is already stepping up, and local communities are taking action. It's time for world leaders to take notice and act on this critical issue.
The latest report from University College London (UCL) paints a bleak picture of the devastating health impacts caused by climate change. With the world's addiction to fossil fuels, toxic air pollution, wildfires, and the spread of diseases like dengue fever, millions are dying each year as governments fail to tackle global heating. In fact, one heat-related death occurs every minute worldwide.
The report reveals that governments have been giving out $2.5 billion a day in direct subsidies to fossil fuel users and producers, while people are losing the same amount due to high temperatures preventing them from working on farms and building sites. This has led to significant economic losses, with exposure to life-threatening heat resulting in 639 billion hours of lost labor in 2024, equivalent to 6% of national GDP in the least developed nations.
The continued burning of fossil fuels not only heats the planet but also produces air pollution, causing millions of deaths a year. Wildfires are adding to the deaths caused by smoke, with a record 154,000 deaths recorded in 2024. Droughts and heatwaves damage crops and livestock, leading to food insecurity for 123 million more people in 2023.
The world's top fossil fuel companies have increased their production in the year up to March 2025, which would lead to carbon dioxide emissions three times those compatible with the Paris climate agreement target. Commercial banks are supporting this expansion, with the top 40 lenders collectively investing $611 billion in 2024.
Experts say that if we continue to finance fossil fuels, a healthy future is impossible. However, there is still hope from local communities and authorities who are taking action to address the climate crisis. The solutions exist, including clean energy, city adaptation, and healthier diets. As Dr Marina Romanello of UCL said, "We must keep up the momentum" to avoid a climate catastrophe.
The report's findings highlight the urgent need for governments and corporations to end their addiction to fossil fuels and transition to cleaner, renewable energy sources. The health sector is already stepping up, and local communities are taking action. It's time for world leaders to take notice and act on this critical issue.
. I was out in the park last summer and it was like, 40 degrees Celsius or something crazy. My grandma told me to stay under a tree until the sun went down. It's not just the heat that's the problem, it's the smoke from all those wildfires too. I remember my friend's cousin died from one of those fires in Australia last year. And have you seen the news about food insecurity? Like, 123 million people can't even get enough to eat because of climate change. It's just, we need to switch to clean energy already 
I'm so sick of seeing this number - 154,000 deaths in 2024 alone due to wildfires... it's just not right 
. We need to stop playing games and start taking action on climate change ASAP 
. The science is clear, we're burning out of control, and our future is at stake 
. It's time for world leaders to put aside their differences and work together towards a sustainable future 
. We can't afford to wait any longer, the clock is ticking 
its so sad to think about people dying every minute due to the heat 
we need to do something about it ASAP 
i mean we all know fossil fuels are bad news, but $2.5 billion a day is crazy 
its not too late yet 
the numbers r insane 154k deaths from wildfires alone, what r we even doin here? 
gotta keep pushin for clean energy, city adapation & healthier diets 
I'm not buying the hype around climate change yet. All this fuss about one death per minute? It sounds like an exaggeration to me. $2.5 billion a day in subsidies to fossil fuel users and producers is a massive amount, but what's being done with that money? Let's focus on the solutions rather than just pointing out the problem.
I mean, who knew fossil fuels were killing people like that? 
. We need to switch to clean energy ASAP 
️. I saw this article about how much time people lost due to heat - 639 billion hours is crazy, like the whole world was stuck in traffic or something! 
...
I feel like we're just delaying the inevitable... what can we do besides recycle more and stuff?
639 billion hours of lost labor 
$611 billion invested in fossil fuels by commercial banks 
. 6% of national GDP lost due to heat exposure? yeah no thanks 
. let's just switch to clean energy already and call it a day 
. the fact that top fossil fuel companies are producing more CO2 emissions than ever is like, what's the point of having a climate agreement if we're just gonna ignore it? 
. but hey, at least there's hope from local communities and authorities taking action... so let's all just keep our fingers crossed for a healthy future 
.
Can you believe we're killing ourselves with our own addiction? Every minute, another person dies because of heat - that's insane! 
We can transition to clean energy, adapt our cities, and eat healthier diets. There are solutions out there and we need world leaders to step up and make some real changes. 
No more excuses, no more waiting - we need a plan now and we need it fast 
. We need to think about what's best for our planet and future generations, not just what's good for the bottom line 
.
can't believe we're still burning those bad fuels... 154k deaths from wildfires alone last year? that's insane! 
it's time for a change, we need clean energy NOW 
.
our leaders are basically pouring billions of dollars into the very thing that's killing us, and meanwhile people are losing their lives every single day. and don't even get me started on the economic losses... it's crazy how much money is being wasted because of heat-related illnesses. but you know what's even crazier? The fact that there's still hope 
. local communities and authorities are coming together to make a change, and we need to support them. we need world leaders to take notice and take action NOW. let's transition to clean energy already!