As a health worker in South Sudan, Night Stella Elias sees from year to year how rising temperatures are adding to the dangers faced by pregnant women and their babies.
Armed conflict, drought, widespread poverty and scarce rural health services already mean the world's newest country has one of its highest maternal mortality rates.
Heatwaves linked to climate change are increasing the risks. "Pregnant mothers who live in deep rural areas have limited access to medical services.
Saving their lives when they have heat stroke inflicted by climate change becomes very difficult.
During heatwaves, pregnant women are at higher risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or of having a low-weight baby, said Elias, nutrition coordinator at African aid agency for Africa.
For every 1 degree Celsius (1.8F) in temperature rise, the number of stillbirths and premature deliveries increases by about 5%, according to an analysis of 70 studies conducted since the mid-1990s and published in the British Medical Journal in 2020.
That is of particular concern in Africa, which is heating up more quickly than the rest of the planet and facing more severe climate disasters such as droughts, a joint U.N.-African Union report said in September.
Policymakers are starting to address the issue as awareness gradually grows about the threat posed by climate change to human health, climate researchers said.
For the first time, the annual U.N. climate summit - COP28, starting in late November in Dubai - will have a day dedicated to health.
Last year, a flagship report from the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) mentioned maternal health, marking a crucial turning point, said University of Washington professor Kristie L. Ebi. "
Climate change started off as an environmental issue. It's been a slow process to get people to understand that climate change is also affecting health and wellbeing," said Ebi, who co-authored a section on human health in the IPCC report.
Heatwaves are breaking records around the world and the continued release of planet-heating emissions will push global temperatures into uncharted territory, scientists have said.
According to the WHO, rising temperatures, extreme weather, air pollution, and less secure water and food supplies not only lead to deaths but also exacerbate infectious diseases, provoke heat-related illnesses, and harm pregnant women.
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