By Abbas Nazil
Pregnant women, unborn babies and newborns are facing growing health risks as climate change drives more frequent and intense extreme heat, UN climate chief Simon Stiell has warned.
Stiell issued the warning in Fiji during the Pacific Pre-COP meeting, where representatives from more than 50 countries are negotiating priorities ahead of COP31, the UN climate summit scheduled for November in Antalya, Turkey.
He said the effects of rising temperatures are no longer an abstract climate concern in the Pacific, but are increasingly being experienced in homes, villages, farms, fisheries and health facilities.
Stiell pointed to new findings from a Wellcome-commissioned survey of maternal health professionals across five countries on five continents.
The survey found that 73 per cent of healthcare professionals had seen an increase in heat-related cases or complications over the previous five years.
He warned that the figures represent a growing threat to women during pregnancy and childbirth, particularly where people lack access to cooling, reliable electricity, clean water and nearby healthcare.
Women who work outdoors, live in poorly regulated buildings or must travel long distances to health facilities can face additional exposure to dangerous heat during pregnancy.
Stiell said public health advice alone would not be enough for communities where people have no safe or cool environment in which to escape extreme temperatures.
He said climate-related heat and disasters are also placing additional pressure on health systems while threatening access to food, water and electricity.
The UN climate chief called for maternal and newborn health to become a central component of climate adaptation and heat-health planning.
He urged governments to invest in resilient healthcare facilities, dependable water and electricity supplies, trained health workers and other essential services capable of operating during extreme weather.
Stiell also called for stronger heat-warning systems, clearer guidance and additional training to help healthcare workers and communities prepare before dangerous temperatures arrive.
He said governments should strengthen the collection and analysis of data to identify populations most exposed to heat-related health risks and determine which measures provide the greatest protection.
The warning came as Pacific countries pushed for stronger international action on climate finance, clean energy and adaptation during the Pre-COP meeting.
The meeting, co-hosted by Fiji and Australia, is taking place from October 5 to 8, while a separate leaders’ event is being held in Tuvalu.
Fiji’s climate minister Lynda Tabuya said the meeting would bring Pacific priorities to the centre of global climate negotiations and called for greater investment in blue economy initiatives.
Tuvalu’s climate minister Maina Vakafua Talia said decisions made at the meeting and at COP31 would have direct consequences for communities in his low-lying island nation.
Tuvalu sits at an average elevation of about two metres above sea level, leaving its communities particularly exposed to rising sea levels.
The Pacific Pre-COP discussions are focused on keeping the 1.5°C goal within reach, accelerating the clean energy transition, increasing adaptation finance and strengthening protection for oceans and climate-vulnerable communities.
Stiell called for the implementation of the COP30 agreement to triple adaptation finance and for efforts to mobilise $1.3 trillion annually for developing countries.
The discussions are expected to help shape negotiations at COP31, where governments will face increasing pressure to turn climate commitments into measures that protect communities from escalating risks, including the growing threat of extreme heat to mothers and newborns.
