--- title: "Lancet report: 710,000 heat deaths in 2023 linked to climate change" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/health/lancet-report-710000-heat-deaths-in-2023-linked-to-climate-change" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/lancet-report-710000-heat-deaths-in-2023-linked-to-climate-change" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/health/lancet-report-710000-heat-deaths-in-2023-linked-to-climate-change.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/lancet-report-710000-heat-deaths-in-2023-linked-to-climate-change" category: "Health" published: "2026-10-28T01:05:28.914Z" source_reported: "2026-10-28T00:34:19.000Z" updated: "2026-10-28T01:05:28.914Z" trust_score: 86 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 30 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-28T02:00:11.291922+00:00" --- # Lancet report: 710,000 heat deaths in 2023 linked to climate change *Experts call for climate change to be declared a global health emergency as heat-related fatalities rise.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 86 of 100, higher is better. Trust high (86) due to multiple named experts, Lancet report citations, and two independent full reports. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic score 95; article explains relevance, includes expert quotes, specific data, and outlines next steps. - Hype 30 of 100, lower is better. Hype score 30; language is measured with no sensational exaggeration beyond strong headlines. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - A Lancet Countdown report states 710,000 heat-related deaths occurred worldwide in 2023. - Over 70% of these deaths were linked to human-caused climate change, according to the report. - Heat caused nearly 3 million deaths between 2016 and 2023, with a 68% increase in heat-related fatalities over that period. - Researchers are calling for climate change to be declared a global health emergency. A report from the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change indicates that 710,000 heat-related deaths occurred globally in 2023. The study, involving nearly 150 researchers from over 30 countries, links more than 70% of these fatalities to human-caused climate change. Between 2016 and 2023, heat was responsible for approximately three million deaths, marking a 68% increase in heat-related fatalities during that period. The findings highlight an acceleration of climate-related health harms, with experts urging that climate change be formally declared a global health emergency. This declaration, they argue, would place health at the centre of climate policies and funding priorities. The report also notes that the area affected by extreme drought has grown significantly, threatening food and water supplies and increasing disease risk. Economic losses from working in extreme heat are also mounting, disproportionately affecting vulnerable economies. ## Disagreement on specific figures While the Lancet Countdown report states that 710,000 heat-related deaths occurred in 2023, Deutsche Welle reported that climate change was responsible for more than half a million heat deaths in 2023. The Independent (US) reported that extreme heat contributed to a record 710,000 fatalities in 2023, with researchers attributing over 70 per cent directly to man-made warming. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention the estimated $1.07 trillion in lost potential income due to extreme heat in 2023, a figure reported by Deutsche Welle. The right-rated digests also do not mention the specific call for a new WHO instrument to coordinate global responses, which was detailed in the Deutsche Welle report. ## Who covered it Shares of the 10 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 50% (3) - Centre: 17% (3) - Right: 33% (4) 5 of 15 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-28T02:00:11.291922+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-28T03:00:09.527Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated reports led with the call for climate change to be declared a global health emergency. The Independent (US) and The Independent highlighted that experts are demanding this declaration due to escalating climate harms and a surge in heat-related deaths. ABC News also reported that the harms are accelerating and warned that climate change is a global health emergency. All three left-rated reports mentioned the 710,000 heat-related fatalities in 2023 and the link to human-caused warming. The Independent (US) also detailed the study's monitoring of 54 indicators and quoted Professor Marina Romanello stating that health harms are growing faster than the world's response. ### Centre - Deutsche Welle's report focused on the call for a 'global health emergency' due to accelerating climate harms and heat deaths. It highlighted that climate change was responsible for more than half a million heat deaths in 2023 and nearly 3 million since 2016. The report also noted the economic toll, with heat costing the world an estimated $1.07 trillion in lost potential income last year, and detailed the researchers' call for a new WHO instrument to coordinate global responses. ### Right - The right-rated reports, Free Malaysia Today News and The Straits Times, both led with the call for climate change to be declared a 'global health emergency' based on the Lancet study. Both digests stated that a record 710,000 people died from heat-related causes in 2023, with more than 70% linked to human-caused climate change. The Straits Times digest also noted that heat caused three million deaths between 2016 and 2023. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 5 - high: 2 - unknown: 5 - veryHigh: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [88.9 Noticias](https://889noticias.mx/destacadas/tres-millones-de-muertos-en-el-mundo-por-altas-temperaturas) — Three Million Dead in the World From High Temperatures - [Science Alert](https://sciencealert.com/heat-deaths-reach-record-high-146-experts-call-to-declare-climate-change-a-global-health-emergency) — Heat Deaths Reach Record High: 146 Experts Call to Declare Climate Change a Global Health Emergency - [INTELLINEWS](https://intelli.news/2026/10/28/les-experts-du-lancet-appellent-a-reconnaitre-le-rechauffement-climatique-comme-une-urgence-sanitaire-mondiale) — "Lancet" Experts Call for Recognition of Global Warming as a Global Health Emergency - [Il Quotidiano del Sud](https://quotidianodelsud.it/2026/10/28/crisi-climatica-e-caldo-record-lancet-e-unemergenza-sanitaria-globale-710mila-morti-nel-2023) — Climate Crisis and Hot Record, Lancet: "It's a Global Health Emergency, 710 Thousand Dead in 2023" - [Latestly](https://latestly.com/agency-news/experts-urge-global-health-emergency-as-climate-harms-accelerate-7659009.html) — Experts Urge 'global Health Emergency' as Climate Harms Accelerate - [Free Malaysia Today News](https://freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/10/28/climate-change-must-be-declared-a-global-health-emergency-says-lancet-study) — Climate change must be declared a ‘global health emergency’, says Lancet study - [The Straits Times](https://straitstimes.com/world/europe/climate-change-must-be-declared-global-health-emergency-lancet-study) — Climate change must be declared ‘global health emergency’: Lancet study - [Gulf News](https://gulfnews.com/world/climate-change-must-be-declared-global-health-emergency-lancet-study-1.500726256) — Climate change must be declared 'global health emergency': Lancet study - [abc News](https://abcnews.com/US/climate-change-global-health-emergency-harms-accelerating-lancet/story?id=137598966) — Climate change is a 'global health emergency' and the harms are accelerating, Lancet report warns - [Deutsche Welle](https://dw.com/en/experts-urge-global-health-emergency-as-climate-harms-accelerate/a-79773232) — Experts urge 'global health emergency' as climate harms and heat deaths accelerate - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/climate-change-global-health-emergency-heat-deaths-b3074418.html) — Experts demand climate change be declared a global health emergency - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/climate-change-global-health-emergency-heat-deaths-b3074418.html) — Experts demand climate change be declared a global health emergency - [Noticias ao Minuto](https://noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/3074099/especialistas-pedem-que-alteracoes-climaticas-sejam-declaradas-emergencia-global-de-saude) — Experts Call for Climate Change to Be Declared Emergency - [newsbiella.it](https://newsbiella.it/2026/10/28/leggi-notizia/argomenti/ultimora/articolo/crisi-climatica-e-caldo-record-lancet-e-unemergenza-sanitaria-globale-710mila-morti-nel-2023.html) — Climate Crisis and Hot Record, Lancet: "It's a Global Health Emergency, 710 Thousand Dead in 2023" - [CinqueColonne.it](https://cinquecolonne.it/crisi-climatica-e-caldo-record-lancet-e-unemergenza-sanitaria-globale-710mila-morti-nel-2023-2.html) — Climate Crisis and Warm Record, Lancet: "It's a Global Health Emergency, 710 Thousand Dead in 2023" - Five Columns Magazine ## Questions **How many heat-related deaths occurred in 2023?** The Lancet Countdown report states that 710,000 heat-related deaths occurred worldwide in 2023. Over 70% of these fatalities were linked to human-caused climate change, according to the researchers. **What is the overall trend in heat-related deaths since 2016?** Heat caused approximately three million deaths between 2016 and 2023. This represents a significant increase, with heat-related deaths rising by 68% over that seven-year period. **What are experts calling for in response to climate change's health impacts?** Experts are urging that climate change be formally declared a global health emergency. They believe this designation would ensure that health considerations are central to climate policies and funding priorities for climate prevention. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/health/lancet-report-710000-heat-deaths-in-2023-linked-to-climate-change. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Lancet report: 710,000 heat deaths in 2023 linked to climate change", https://mediabias.news/health/lancet-report-710000-heat-deaths-in-2023-linked-to-climate-change