The UN warns that extreme heat caused by climate change increases risks during pregnancy, including preterm birth, fetal death, low birth weight, and maternal complications.
Simon Stiell, head of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat, warned about the impact of extreme heat on pregnant women and newborns, stating that rising temperatures are increasingly threatening pregnancies.
Stiell is scheduled to speak at the Pre-COP31 meeting in Nadi, Fiji, on Monday, 5 October 2025 GMT+7, referencing a survey of healthcare workers from five continents, which found that more than two-thirds of health experts had encountered heat-related complications in the past five years.
The data comes from a survey of 1,000 midwives and doctors in the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Brazil, and Zimbabwe, conducted by the Wellcome charitable foundation.
Stiell stated that higher temperatures mean increased dangers during pregnancy and warned that extreme heat from climate change is increasingly linked to preterm births, fetal deaths, low birth weight, and maternal complications.
The survey found that nearly all midwives and doctors had cared for mothers or infants affected by extreme heat. About one-third reported cases of low birth weight or restricted growth, feeding difficulties, and dehydration or heat-related illnesses, which these professionals attributed to extreme heat.
Julia Gillard, former Australian Prime Minister and chair of the Wellcome foundation, said climate change is increasing risks for mothers and infants and called on world leaders to act urgently to address the issue.
Meanwhile, scientists warn that climate change is intensifying extreme weather events and causing record-breaking high temperatures to occur more frequently. This year, about 33 countries, from Western Europe to the Sahel region and Central America, recorded their hottest July since records began.
Stiell plans to say at the meeting that pregnancy should be a time of hope, but for millions of women it is becoming a period filled with worry as climate impacts increase daily risks.
The Pre-COP31 meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu, a Pacific island nation, serve as key forums where regional leaders aim to highlight the climate crisis's impact on frontline countries ahead of the UN climate summit COP31, scheduled for next month in Turkey.
/source:channelnewsasia
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