A groundbreaking report by Climate Central reveals a stark new consequence of climate change: a dramatic rise in dangerously hot days for pregnant people worldwide. Between 2020 and 2024, climate change has at least doubled the number of extreme heat days that increase the risk of preterm birth and maternal health complications in nearly 90% of countries and territories, as well as 63% of cities.
This is the first-ever global analysis to directly measure how climate change is intensifying heat-related risks during pregnancy. The findings underscore how burning fossil fuels—coal, oil, and gas—is not just warming the planet but also threatening lives before they even begin.
Highlights from the Report
- Global Impact: Every one of the 247 countries and territories analyzed saw an increase in pregnancy heat-risk days due to human-caused climate change.
- Doubled Heat-Risk Days: In 222 out of 247 locations studied, climate change has at least doubled the annual number of pregnancy heat-risk days over the past five years compared to a world without climate change.
- An Extra Month of Danger: In nearly one-third of countries (78), climate change added the equivalent of one extra month of extreme heat risk days each year from 2020 to 2024.
- Some Places Entirely Affected: In certain countries and cities, 100% of the pregnancy heat-risk days observed over the past five years were due to climate change—none of these would have occurred in a pre-climate-change world.
- Disproportionate Burden: The worst-affected areas are developing nations in the Caribbean, Central and South America, the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa—regions that have contributed the least to global emissions but are suffering the most.
- Health Consequences: These high-heat days exceed the 95th percentile of historic local temperatures—a level linked with higher risks of preterm births, maternal complications, and long-term infant health problems.
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