Guardian: “Declare climate crisis a global public health emergency, experts tell WHO”

Essay by Eric Worrall

“… Far from being a fading priority or fake news, climate change poses an immediate and long-term threat …”

Declare climate crisis a global public health emergency, experts tell WHO

Anna Bawden Health and social affairs correspondent
Sat 16 May 2026 14.00 AEST

The climate crisis should be declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization, or millions more people will die unnecessarily, leading international experts have said.

The independent pan-European commission on climate and health, which was convened by the WHO, concluded the climate crisis was such a worldwide threat to health that the WHO should declare it “a public health emergency of international concern” (Pheic).

The international spread of vector-borne disease, such as dengue and chikungunya, as well as the health impacts of extreme weather events, global heating, food insecurity and air pollution make a Pheic necessary, said the commission’s report, which will be presented to European ministers on Sunday before the WHO’s world health assembly starts on Monday.

The 11-strong independent commission, which includes former health and climate ministers, said: “Far from being a fading priority or fake news, climate change poses an immediate and long-term threat to health, economic, food, water, environmental, personal, community and national security.”

The report also called for measures to tackle disinformation, greater use of national climate health impact assessments, as well as recognition that climate change was also a mental health crisis.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/16/who-should-declare-climate-crisis-global-public-health-emergency-experts-say

In my opinion when they have to lead your argument by assuring readers they aren’t fake news, in a news outlet like The Guardian, they’ve already lost.

The WHO also has its own credibility problems. WHO was widely perceived as stooging for China during the early days of the Covid pandemic.

I don’t think declaring a fake climate emergency, “far from being … fake news”, would do anything to restore the WHO’s lost credibility.

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45 Comments
May 17, 2026 10:10 am

This climate public health nonsense is another reason Trump withdrew the US from WHO.
Good riddance.

Reply to  Rud Istvan
May 17, 2026 10:02 pm

Sadly hardly any other country followed his example, so the shitshow continues and even worse: once your leftards regain power it will be “back to he new normal”…so enjoy your “time-out”, you truly deserve it.

Sean Galbally
May 17, 2026 10:15 am

Whether Climate Change poses a threat which I doubt, It is definitely NOT Man-Made nor can be changed by him. Pollution is a diferent question altogether. Let us not be confused and misled by mainstream media and authoritarian power brokers

Scissor
Reply to  Sean Galbally
May 17, 2026 12:26 pm

Yes. The climate I was assigned at birth is pretty much the climate I identify with today.

May 17, 2026 10:17 am

The Climate Crusade isn’t going to disappear into the night. Did anyone think it would?

SxyxS
Reply to  Steve Case
May 18, 2026 2:53 am

They have invested trillions of dollars and decades of indoctrination and propaganda with the end goal to transfer sovereignties to UNO and WHO.

They won’t drop that just because things are going wrong.
And they don’t even have a choice as this is their only shot.
It’s impossible to come up with another scam on a global scale as this would face massive resistance from the get go(see how the Hanta Virus narrative was getting hammered instantly)

ozspeaksup
Reply to  SxyxS
May 18, 2026 5:39 am

yeah while Ebola was going for over 2 weeks 80 dead before they managed to make that public…hmm

May 17, 2026 10:22 am

Law of unintentional consequences: cleaner air, less air pollution, larger hailstones, more sunshine.
Nothing to do with CO2

andersm0
May 17, 2026 10:28 am

They’re fearful the climate alarm funding truck is going to close the shutters and drive away.

May 17, 2026 10:41 am

““a public health emergency of international concern” (Pheic).”

Oh no! Will this emergency involve an invasion of those “Rodents of Unusual Size?!?” (Rous – from The Princess Bride movie.)

SxyxS
Reply to  David Dibbell
May 17, 2026 1:44 pm

Interesting how we got a health emergency right after the climate emergency.

Brought to you by : Pan-European commission on climate and health.
The Clairvoyance is remarkable.
As if this institution was created to come to this conclusion.

Ed Zuiderwijk
May 17, 2026 10:44 am

But climate change is a mental health crisis. Of the climate change fear mongers. They are all certifiable.

Neil Lock
May 17, 2026 11:07 am

“recognition that climate change was also a mental health crisis.”

That “climate change” caused by CO2 is a problem in the real world, is indeed a mental health crisis in those that believe it!

Jeff Alberts
Reply to  Neil Lock
May 17, 2026 11:57 am

I would clarify. Those at the top, like the WHO, WEF, UN, etc, are simply trying to wrest control of the West. Those who actually believe it are the crazy ones.

RichardB
May 17, 2026 11:14 am

”experts tell WHO”
”Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts.”
Richard Feynman

Bruce Cobb
May 17, 2026 11:31 am

The Alarmists, with their fake “climate crisis” pose an immediate and long-term threat to public health, the economy, food, water, the environment, as well as to personal, community and national security. They should be arrested for screaming “fire” on a crowded planet.

strativarius
May 17, 2026 11:31 am

The child activists at the Grauniad should start preparing. The wheels on the climate change bus are coming off, what will they do, what will they report ?

A delicious dilemma.

Jeff Alberts
Reply to  strativarius
May 17, 2026 12:06 pm

The alarmists still have a tremendous amount of power. Unless Republicans, the ones who have some balls, remain in power in the US, a whole fleet of electric alarmist buses will come back in force.

KevinM
Reply to  strativarius
May 17, 2026 2:07 pm

(typing noise)
AI – What should Guardian write about to sell ads if climate change articles don’t work?

Jeff Alberts
May 17, 2026 11:54 am

“The independent pan-European commission on climate and health, which was convened by the WHO, concluded the climate crisis was such a worldwide threat to health that the WHO should declare it “a public health emergency of international concern” (Pheic).”

So the WHO is telling the WHO…

Gregory Woods
Reply to  Jeff Alberts
May 17, 2026 1:55 pm

but WHO is on first?

MarkW
Reply to  Gregory Woods
May 18, 2026 8:19 am

WHO can’t get to first.

SxyxS
Reply to  Jeff Alberts
May 17, 2026 2:24 pm

The only reason this pan-Euro commission was created is to come to this conclusion.

And it is not bound by any logic or parameter.
A permanent increase in population and food production is impossible in any global crisis scenario, let alone both of them.

Then there is the impossible argument that climate things are getting worse globaly .
Can’t be as warming may lead to a crisis in warmer regions, while warming in cooler regions would bring the climate closer to the optimum/ reference point.

starzmom
Reply to  SxyxS
May 17, 2026 3:39 pm

Warmer climates grow more food.

SxyxS
Reply to  starzmom
May 18, 2026 2:56 am

That’s why most people live in warmer regions.

Some Like It Hot
Reply to  Jeff Alberts
May 18, 2026 6:37 am

WHO ‘dat ?

tinny
May 17, 2026 11:57 am

Just at the point that RCP8.5 is exposed as utter fiction, they double down on the scaremongering. Unbelievable.

Tom Halla
May 17, 2026 12:00 pm

Say you are still pimping for China without saying you are pimping for China.

John Hultquist
May 17, 2026 12:06 pm

From the “pan” website:
The Commission will consist of 11 commissioners, including former political leaders and leaders championing the climate change and health agenda, selected to represent a broad spectrum of views, experiences and disciplines from different parts of the WHO European Region. To ensure the independence of the Commission, commissioners will not hold a position in political office during their appointment to the Commission.

May 17, 2026 1:37 pm

Show first any climate crisis evidence.

Edward Katz
May 17, 2026 1:59 pm

So what if the WHO declared it a global health emergency. Does anyone believe that governments, businesses, industries and consumers will take any action? It’ll get nothing more than the usual horse laugh, then quickly ignored. And when people realize it’s nothing more than another one of The Guardian’s endless climate scare stories and inane suggestions for remedying a non-existent problem. it’ll be an even bigger source of mirth.

Bruce Cobb
May 17, 2026 2:00 pm

They need to declare the space alien crisis a global public health emergency. I mean, think of all the damage they can do with their blasters and thermal detonators, not to mention light sabers. And as always, they will hurt the poor and the powerless most, which is so unfair. I need a lie-down.

KevinM
May 17, 2026 2:03 pm

IF climate crisis news has entered death spiral, who will read Guardian They seem to be ‘all in’ and prepared to go down wit the ship. What is their growth market?

Jeff Alberts
Reply to  KevinM
May 17, 2026 4:37 pm

Guardian and Growth Market are mutually exclusive.

cartoss
May 17, 2026 2:23 pm

As a Brit, I am hoping Reform will get into power in time to save our country. An early step would be to follow Trump out of the WHO.

MiloCrabtree
May 17, 2026 2:33 pm

These people should be locked up. Or rounded up and sent to Arctic regions with a high density of polar bears. But no guns – gun control is important to these activists.

Bob
May 17, 2026 3:02 pm

More mind numbing crap from an international organization. The greatest strike to fight misinformation would be to get rid of the independent pan- European commission on climate and health which was convened by the WHO.

MarkW
May 17, 2026 3:13 pm

The more scam falls apart, the more desperate the chief scammers are to get a last lick in.

ResourceGuy
May 17, 2026 3:35 pm

How much is WHO asking for at these cocktail parties for marketing rights.

mleskovarsocalrrcom
May 17, 2026 5:09 pm

The WHO has no credibility with people who think rationally. The WHO, like the UN, is a political organization. Both are quangos as is everything associated with the UN.