The 2025 small island developing states report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: building resilience in the face of rising heat

This 2025 Lancet Countdown report finds rising heat, drought and climate-related health risks are threatening SIDS, while adaptation and climate finance efforts remain insufficient. Small island developing states (SIDS) are facing escalating health and development risks from climate change despite contributing less than 1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The 2025 SIDS report of the Lancet Countdown examines 28 indicators across health impacts, adaptation, mitigation, finance, and public engagement, highlighting the growing burden of extreme heat, drought, food insecurity, vector-borne diseases, and sea-level rise.

The report finds that during 2015–24, infants were exposed to seven times more heatwave days and older adults to five times more heatwave days than in the 2000–09 baseline period. In 2024 alone, 4.4 billion potential work hours were lost due to heat, while climate-related drought and heat contributed to food insecurity for an estimated 2.7 million people across 26 SIDS. Although progress has been made in health adaptation planning, climate information services, renewable energy deployment and disaster preparedness, the report warns that financing gaps, climate-related losses and growing health vulnerabilities continue to threaten resilience. It calls for stronger adaptation action, increased climate finance and greater support for health-centred resilience in SIDS.