UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, has warned that extreme heat is emerging as a potentially fatal threat to pregnant women, newborns and maternal healthcare systems as climate change intensifies.
Stiell gave the warning on Monday at the Birthright event in Suva, Fiji, saying rising temperatures were increasingly linked to pregnancy complications, premature birth, stillbirth and low birth weight.
He said pregnancy and childbirth were becoming a new faultline in the global climate crisis, with vulnerable communities likely to face greater risks due to inequalities in access to healthcare.
Stiell cited a new survey commissioned by Wellcome involving maternal health professionals across five countries, which found that 73 per cent had reported an increase in heat-related cases or complications over the past five years.
The survey also showed that 81 per cent of respondents were concerned or very concerned that extreme heat would increasingly endanger maternal, fetal and newborn health without greater action.
Nearly all respondents, 98 per cent, said they had cared for a pregnant woman whose health they believed had been affected by extreme heat, while 99 per cent reported caring for a baby affected by extreme heat.
Stiell called for maternal and newborn healthcare to be integrated into climate adaptation and heat-health plans, alongside practical measures such as resilient health facilities, reliable water and electricity, trained health workers, heat alerts and better emergency preparedness.
He also urged governments to strengthen data collection to identify communities most exposed to climate-related maternal and newborn health risks and determine where funding and technology were most needed.
The UN official called for stronger adaptation financing for developing countries, saying such investment was necessary to build resilient health systems and protect vulnerable communities from the growing effects of extreme heat.
He urged governments and other stakeholders to act urgently, stressing that climate change should not be allowed to make pregnancy and childbirth less safe.
