Climate change and well-being: Science academies publish recommendations for G20 summit

Leopoldina

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Ahead of the G20 summit in Johannesburg/South Africa, on 22 and 23 November 2025, the science academies of the G20 countries, including the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, have issued science-based recommendations developed in the Science20 process. The joint statement “Climate Change and Well-Being”, recommends measures to address the consequences of climate change and to adapt in the areas of health, ecology and technology. “The most important measure for combating climate change remains a consistent reduction in CO2 emissions,” says Leopoldina President Professor Dr Bettina Rockenbach. “At the same time, it is crucial to consider the consequences of climate change worldwide and to mitigate them particularly in those areas where people are severely affected by increasing weather extremes, resource scarcity and threats to health and well-being.” In their statement, the G20 science academies recommend, among other things, the One Health approach as a strategy for dealing with the consequences of climate change. It links the health of humans, animals and ecosystems and aims to address issues of climate change, food and water security, energy, biodiversity and environmental pollution across sectors. Recommended measures include monitoring water and air quality, early warning systems and disaster management plans. The G20 science academies also recommend sustainable use of land, water and energy resources, particularly by strengthening local food systems and restoring natural ecosystems. The needs of vulnerable and indigenous groups and their knowledge should be taken into account when adapting to climate change. In order to mitigate climate change, the transformation of the energy system should continue to be a focus and be advanced through new technologies, the establishment of carbon cycle management and market-based approaches. The statement was drafted under the leadership of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) with the participation of members of the Leopoldina. It is available for download on the Leopoldina website: https://www.leopoldina.org/en/s20 The Leaders’ Summit of the 20 major industrialised and emerging countries (G20) on 22 and 23 November 2025 in Johannesburg/South Africa is the ninth in which the scientific community is contributing through the dialogue forum ‘Science20’. The scientific advice process was launched for the G20 summit in 2017 as part of the German G20 Presidency. The G7 summits have also been accompanied by the science academies for more than 15 years. The Leopoldina on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/leopoldina.org      The Leopoldina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nationale-akademie-der-wissenschaften-leopoldina    The Leopoldina on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nationalakademieleopoldina   The Leopoldina on X: https://www.twitter.com/leopoldina   About the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina  As the German National Academy of Sciences, the Leopoldina provides independent science-based policy advice on matters relevant to society. To this end, the Academy develops interdisciplinary statements based on scientific findings. In these publications, options for action are outlined; making decisions, however, is the responsibility of democratically legitimized politicians. The experts who prepare the statements work in a voluntary and unbiased manner. The Leopoldina represents the German scientific community in the international academy dialogue. This includes advising the annual summits of Heads of State and Government of the G7 and G20 countries. With around 1,700 members from more than 30 countries, the Leopoldina combines expertise from almost all research areas. Founded in 1652, it was appointed the National Academy of Sciences of Germany in 2008. The Leopoldina is committed to the common good.

 

Climate change and conflict pose a serious health threat, warn experts

Strengthening health systems key to reducing vulnerability and supporting climate adaptation

BMJ Group

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The combined impact of climate change and conflict “can produce synergistic effects, leading to more severe and complex outcomes,” warn experts in The BMJ’s climate issue today.

From 1995 to 2015, more than 10 million child deaths were attributed to conflict, while women of reproductive age in high intensity conflict zones experienced mortality rates three times higher than those in peaceful areas, they explain.

Additionally, over 60,000 heat related deaths occurred in 32 European countries during both the exceptionally hot summers of 2022 and 2024, with women substantially more affected than men.

Beyond direct loss of life, climate and conflict hazards also threaten health indirectly, by damaging health infrastructure and disrupting supply chains, as well as by reducing access to food and essential services, escalating the risk of undernutrition and spread of infectious diseases.

They say climate action—both mitigation and adaptation—is critical for tackling climate related risks to health, but conflicts often disrupt these efforts and divert resources away from climate priorities.

Mitigation efforts—critical for reducing long term climate change risks—face similar challenges. Following Russia’s invasion, for instance, Ukraine’s mitigation investments were substantially reduced as funds shifted to war and reconstruction.

What’s more, military activities are themselves a major, but under-reported source of greenhouse gas emissions, they add, conservatively estimated at 5.5% of the global total, with the United States as the largest contributor.

“To promote sustainable development and peace in a changing climate, decision makers—from local to international—must recognise the interplay between climate, health, and conflict and commit to scaling up climate action including in fragile and conflict affected states, “ they write.

Science can also play a vital role in supporting decision making, they say.

One promising example is the Climate Conflict Vulnerability Index, which identifies areas where climate and conflict hazards intersect with social vulnerabilities, including health, and could reinforce each other.

“Only by integrating climate action with conflict prevention and peacebuilding can we disrupt the vicious cycle of escalating climate impacts, deteriorating health, and rising instability. Strengthening health systems must be central to these efforts,” they conclude.

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Journal

The BMJ

DOI

10.1136/bmj.r1578 

Method of Research

Commentary/editorial

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Tackling the complex links between climate change, conflict, and health

Article Publication Date

5-Nov-2025

COI Statement

BŠ is a (co-)lead of the FutureLab-Security, Ethnic Conflicts and Migration at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (since 2020), (co-)principal investigator of the Climate Conflict Vulnerability Index within the Preview project funded by the GFFO (2022-25), co-investigator of the Weathering Risk project funded by the GFFO (2020-2023), and collaborator on otherclimate and conflict research projects funded by German Foundation for Peace Research (2022), UK DFID, World Bank and UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) (2020-21), Heinrich Boell Foundation (2021-2025); BŠ is a member of the Advisory Board to the Federal Government for Civilian Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding. AH is a principal investigator Pathfinder Initiative 2020-25, co-investigator Sustainable Healthy Food Systemsresearch programme 2017-23,co-investigator Complex Urban Systemsfor Sustainability and Health (CUSSH) 2017-23, and collaborator on several other climate and health research projects, all funded by the Wellcome Trust, with additional funding from the Oak Foundation for the Pathfinder initiative; reportsroyaltiesfrom Cambridge University Press; hasreceived travelsupport from the World Health Organization and Human Frontiers Science Program; 2022-24 member, Cool Roofstrialsteering committee Nouna Research Centre, Burkina Faso/University of Heidelberg; 2023-24 co-chair International Advisory Committee, NIHR Clean-Air (Africa) Global Health Research Unit; 2023 member Independent Advisory Group, Collaboration for the Establishment of an African Population Cohort Consortium (CE-APCC); 2019-22 co-chair InterAcademy Partnership, Climate Change and Health Working Group; US National Academy of Medicine Climate Grand Challenge Steering Committee 2023-present; chair, SOSCHI Expert Advisory Group,Office of National Statistics 2022-present;co-directorWHOCollaborating Centre on Climate Change, Health and Sustainable Development, LSHTM 2020-2024.

 

Curb sales of SUVs to reduce harms to health and the environment, say experts

Health professionals must support the health and environmental case for policy action

BMJ Group

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Action is needed locally, nationally, and internationally to curb sales of new Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) to reduce their potential harms to health and the environment, say experts in The BMJ’s climate issue today.

Their call comes as Cardiff looks set to be the first city in the UK to charge higher parking fees for larger vehicles, following in the footsteps of Paris.

Sports utility vehicles (SUVs) are passenger cars that have a chassis with extra ground clearance and are generally taller, wider, and heavier than other models, write Dr Anthony Laverty and colleagues.

Once a niche vehicle for offroad driving, SUVs now make up half of new car sales globally, up from 15% in 2010, and in the UK, SUVs accounted for 63% of new sales in 2024, compared with 12% in 2010.

The proliferation of SUVs is one aspect of the wider trend of “carspreading,” whereby cars are becoming steadily larger over time, and with this comes potential harms to health, they warn.

A recent evidence review found a 44% relative increase in the likelihood of death for an adult pedestrian or cyclist hit by an SUV or similarly large car compared with a standard car. For children there was an 82% relative increase in the likelihood of death.

The taller, squarer bonnets of SUVs cause more serious injuries and make collisions more lethal, all other things being equal, they write, while poorer visibility for drivers in large SUVs further increases risk to children. The average driver in a Land Rover Defender cannot see a 4 year old child standing directly in front, they note.

Nonetheless, vehicle manufacturers continue to increase new car dimensions, with average bonnet height increasing from 77 cm in 2010 to 84 cm in 2024 among new car sales in Europe. Across the same years, new cars in Europe also grew 0.5 cm wider a year.

“These vehicles reduce the space available for cyclists (and other two wheelers) to move safely beside them and make it harder to achieve an increase in active travel and the substantial associated public health benefits,” say the authors.

Carspreading is also an obstacle to achieving climate and air quality goals as SUV versions of regular sized petrol cars emit more carbon, and bigger vehicles use more raw materials in production, they write.

SUVs also increase air pollution as fine particles thrown off by tyre and road wear increase with rising vehicle weight. These fine particles enter deep lung tissue and the circulatory system, and may be important contributors to chronic illnesses and premature death.

Action is needed to reverse the trend, they argue. Measures include higher parking fees for larger vehicles in cities, reforms to vehicle tax to create stronger incentives for smaller cars, and mandating vehicle dimensions on registration certificates to increase public consciousness of rising vehicle size.

Independent vehicle safety rating programmes could also introduce a “child visibility test,” which would encourage lower bonnet heights in future vehicle designs, while regulators also need to be convinced to adopt reforms that reduce ever-increasing bonnet heights and vehicle widths.

“We urge health professionals, as opinion leaders in society, to raise their voices in supporting the health and environmental case for policy action,” they conclude.

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Journal

The BMJ

DOI

10.1136/bmj.r2162 

Method of Research

Commentary/editorial

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Reducing the harms from ever larger cars

Article Publication Date

5-Nov-2025

COI Statement

The BMJ has judged that there are no disqualifying financial ties to commercial companies. The authors declare the following other interests: CK was an on-call consultant surgeon during two high profile crashes when SUVs were unintentionally driven into groups of young children (the Beatrix Potter and Wimbledon School crashes in London) and witnessed the disproportionate number of severe head and facial injuries./

 

Experts warn of wider health impact of tropical cyclones in a warming climate

Highest risk of death seen in deprived communities Better evidence needed to guide disaster response plans, say researchers

BMJ Group

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Beyond direct injuries, exposure to tropical cyclones is associated with higher risks of death across a range of causes including kidney, heart and lung diseases, neuropsychiatric conditions, and diabetes, finds a study published in The BMJ’s climate issue today.

Risks were substantially higher in deprived communities and areas that have previously experienced fewer tropical cyclones, suggesting an urgent need to integrate more evidence on tropical cyclone activity into disaster response plans, say the authors.

Tropical cyclones are one of the most devastating and costly extreme weather events, affecting an average of 20.4 million people a year with direct economic losses of US$51.5 billion over the past decade.

Although direct physical injuries are well recorded, evidence on the wider health impact of tropical cyclones is lacking, especially in regions with historically limited tropical cyclone experience and resilience.

To address this, researchers collected death records for 1,356 communities in nine understudied countries and territories (Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand) from 2000-2019.

They used models to estimate wind and rainfall patterns for each tropical cyclone event and assess relationships between tropical cyclone exposure and risk of death from various leading causes, accounting for natural variations.

A total of 14.9 million deaths and 217 tropical cyclone events among the exposed communities in the nine countries and territories were included in the analysis.

Risks of death consistently increased following tropical cyclones, with peaks occurring within the first two weeks after exposure, followed by a rapid decline.

Over the first two weeks after tropical cyclone exposure, the highest increases were found in deaths from kidney diseases (92%) and injuries (21%), respectively, for each additional tropical cyclone day in a week.

Relatively more modest risks were observed for death from diabetes (15%), neuropsychiatric disorders (12%), infectious diseases (11%), digestive diseases (6%), respiratory diseases (4%), cardiovascular diseases (2%) and neoplasms (2%).

These findings are most likely due to a combination of disrupted essential healthcare services, limited access to medications, and increased physical and psychological stress, say the authors.

Risks of death were substantially higher in communities with greater levels of deprivation and those that have historically experienced fewer tropical cyclones.

Tropical cyclone-related rainfall appeared to be more strongly associated with death than windspeed, possibly due to flooding and water contamination, suggesting that greater emphasis should be placed on rainfall in early warning systems.

This is an observational study so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, and the researchers acknowledge various limitations to their findings, including possible exposure misclassification and uncertainties concerning the generalisability beyond the regions analysed.

However, they say: “Our study provides compelling and quantitative evidence for the notably elevated mortality risks from various causes following tropical cyclones at a multi-country level.”

“Overall, there is an urgent need to integrate more evidence on tropical cyclone epidemiology into disaster response strategies to respond to the growing risks and shifting activity of tropical cyclones under a warming climate,” they conclude.

“Taken together, these findings highlight the critical importance of indirect health effects of tropical cyclones, as many of the highest risk conditions do not stem from immediate trauma but rather from disrupted healthcare systems, environmental contamination, and prolonged stress,” explain researchers in a linked editorial.

The time for action is now, they argue. With tropical cyclones increasing in intensity because of climate change, “we must translate these research insights into developing cyclone specific health policies that protect the most vulnerable, building resilience against the direct and indirect health impacts of these devastating events.”

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Journal

The BMJ

DOI

10.1136/bmj-2025-084906 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Cause-specific mortality risks associated with tropical cyclones across multiple countries and territories: two stage, time series study

Article Publication Date

5-Nov-2025

COI Statement

: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form at www.icmje.org/disclosure-of-interest/ and declare: support from the Australian Research Council, Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, China Scholarship Council funds, VicHealth Postdoctoral Research Fellowships, Monash Graduate Scholarship, Monash International Tuition Scholarship, European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), National Research Council of Thailand, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and Monash Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Science (FMNHS) for the submitted work; no financial relationships with any organisations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years; no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work