Lancet Countdown Report: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change

This fact sheet summarizes the 2018 Lancet Countdown report and a corresponding briefing for Canadian policymakers, detailing the health impacts of climate change globally and specifically within Canada, while providing policy recommendations for emissions reduction and health system adaptation.

• The 2018 global report identifies extreme heat as the primary health concern, noting that global temperatures have risen steadily since 1990, with the most significant increases occurring in Europe. In 2017, 157 million more vulnerable people were exposed to heat waves compared to 2000, and an estimated 153 billion hours of labour were lost to extreme heat in 2017, which is 62 billion hours more than the loss in 2000.
• Global climate impacts include rising rates of animal- or insect-borne diseases in Africa and declining agricultural yields in 30 countries. In 2017, 712 extreme weather events caused $326 billion (US funds) in economic losses, representing nearly a three-fold increase over 2016.
• In Canada, chronic exposure to fine particulate (PM2.5) air pollution from human activity caused 7142 premature deaths in 2015, with health impacts valued at $53.5 billion. These deaths are attributed to non-coal industries (2762), land-based transportation (1063), the agricultural sector (1282), coal-fired power plants (345), and coal-related industries (105).
• The briefing for Canadian policymakers recommends several actions: phasing out coal-fired power plants by 2030 or sooner (with at least two-thirds replaced by non-emitting sources), establishing heat-response plans and an integrated surveillance system for heat-related illness, and integrating climate change and health into medical and health science curricula.
• Carbon pricing coverage for Canada's climate emissions was 61% under provincial systems, but dropped to 42% after Ontario dismantled its cap-and-trade program; it is projected to reach 70% with the 2019 federal system. Globally, 20% of human-activity climate emissions will be covered by carbon pricing once the Chinese system begins operation in 2018.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2018). Lancet Countdown Report: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/CAPE-Factsheet-Lancet-2018.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Lancet Countdown Report: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change. 2018. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/CAPE-Factsheet-Lancet-2018.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Lancet Countdown Report: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change |date=29 November 2018 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/CAPE-Factsheet-Lancet-2018.pdf#new_tab |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2018lancet, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Lancet Countdown Report: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2018}, month = nov, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/CAPE-Factsheet-Lancet-2018.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }