Extreme heat putting pregnant women, newborns at risk: UN climate chief
UN climate chief Simon Stiell has warned that extreme heat driven by climate change is creating significant health risks for pregnant women and newborns. A new survey indicates that a majority of health professionals have observed increased complications related to heat in recent years.
Why it matters
It identifies a critical and often overlooked intersection between climate change and maternal health, signaling a new priority for global health policy.
Climate-driven extreme heat during pregnancy is increasingly linked to premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight, and maternal complications, says the United Nations' climate chief.
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell speaks on the day of the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), in Belem, Brazil, on Nov 10, 2025. (File photo: Reuters/Adriano Machado)
NADI, Fiji: Extreme heat is putting pregnant mothers and their newborns at increasing risk, United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell will warn on Monday (Oct 5).
Speaking at the "pre-COP" summit in Nadi, Fiji, Stiell will cite a new survey showing more than two-thirds of health professionals across five continents had seen complications caused by intense heat in the past five years.
"Rising temperatures mean rising danger in pregnancy," he is expected to say.
"Climate-driven extreme heat during pregnancy is increasingly linked to premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight, and maternal complications."
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