Health
Extreme heat putting pregnant women, newborns at risk, UN warns
Janet Ogundepo
Extreme heat is increasingly threatening the health of pregnant women and newborns, with 98 per cent of maternal health professionals surveyed saying they had cared for a pregnant woman whose health they believed was affected by heat, the UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, has said.
Stiell disclosed this in a speech on Monday at the launch of a global call to action to protect pregnant women from global heating, as new survey findings revealed that 73 per cent of maternal health professionals reported an increase in heat-related cases or complications over the past five years.
The survey, commissioned by the global health foundation Wellcome, covered 1,000 maternal health professionals across Australia, Brazil, India, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.
The findings revealed that 99 per cent of respondents had also cared for a baby whose health they believed was affected by extreme heat, while 81 per cent were concerned or very concerned that rising temperatures would increasingly threaten maternal, foetal and newborn health without further action.
PUNCH Healthwise earlier reported that extreme weather conditions, including excessive heat recorded across the country, increase the risk of miscarriages, spontaneous abortion, respiratory disorders, low birth weight and disruption of antenatal care attendance among pregnant women.
It was also reported that climate change may worsen air quality, increase the spread of infectious diseases, pose threats to food safety, water quantity and quality and affect the mental health of children and pregnant women.
Speaking at the event in Fiji, Stiell described pre3434gnancy and birth as an emerging faultline in the climate crisis, warning that worsening heat could deepen existing inequalities in access to safe maternal care.
“The picture is clear and very disturbing: as extreme heat worsens, pregnancy and birth are now a new faultline in the global climate crisis, and one which is potentially fatal. This faultline must not become another deep chasm of climate-driven suffering, inequality and injustice,” he said.
Stiell said climate-driven extreme heat during pregnancy was increasingly linked to premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight and maternal complications.
He noted that the risks were not shared equally, especially among women who worked outdoors, lived in poorly regulated housing, travelled long distances to health facilities or relied on hospitals without reliable water, electricity or cooling.
“‘Staying cool’ is simply not an option when there is no cool place to go,” he said.
The UN official warned that without deliberate action, rising temperatures could further undermine the safety of pregnancy and childbirth, particularly in vulnerable communities.
“A safe birth is already too often shaped by geography, income and access to care. Without action, extreme heat will widen that injustice. We cannot let worsening climate impacts become permanent pitfalls for maternity wards and families everywhere,” he said.
Stiell called for maternal and newborn health to be incorporated into national climate adaptation, heat and health plans, backed by adequate funding, resilient health facilities, reliable electricity and water, and trained health workers.
He also urged governments to translate evidence on heat-related health risks into practical protection measures, including clearer guidance, training, heat alerts and safer healthcare facilities.
He said countries also needed to strengthen data collection to identify communities facing the greatest risks, assess which interventions were effective and determine where financial and technological support was needed.
“What is not named in a plan is too often not funded, not measured and not protected,” he said.
Stiell added that climate action must recognise the experiences of mothers, midwives, doctors, nurses and families affected by extreme heat.
“Mothers, midwives, doctors, nurses and families speak from lived experience. We should listen,” he said.
He also called for international support to help vulnerable countries strengthen their health systems and adapt to rising temperatures, particularly nations that had contributed little to the climate crisis but faced severe consequences.
The initiative, led by Wellcome and partners, seeks to mobilise global action to protect women, babies, health systems and health workers from extreme heat.
Stiell stressed that pregnancy and childbirth should not become less safe because of climate change.
“A changing climate must never be accepted as a reason pregnancy and birth become less safe. A newborn’s healthy start must never depend on a family’s ability to escape the heat,” he said.
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