Extreme heat increases risks for pregnant women, says UN Climate
Quick Look
At a pre-COP31 meeting in Fiji, UN Climate Chief Simon Stiell warned of the increased dangers of extreme heatwaves linked to climate change for pregnant women, associated with premature births, stillbirths, low birth weight and maternal complications, according to a Nature Medicine study and a survey showing that 73% of maternal health professionals observe an increase in these complications.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The risks of extreme heat for pregnancy are increasingly better documented, even if the physiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. A study published in 2024 in Nature Medicine shows that high temperatures increase the risks of premature births, stillbirths, low birth weight and birth defects.
Extreme heat also has consequences for pregnant women. “Rising temperatures are accompanied by increased danger during pregnancy,” warned the head of the UN Climate, Simon Stiell, in a speech given at a pre-COP31 meeting in the Fiji Islands, Monday October 5. “Extreme heat waves linked to climate change during pregnancy are increasingly associated with premature births, stillbirths, low birth weight and maternal complications,” he continued.
The risks of heat, and by extension global warming, for pregnancy are increasingly better documented, even if the physiological mechanisms that explain them are still poorly understood. A large study, published in 2024 in the journal Nature Medicine, gives a general idea of the state of knowledge: high temperatures increase multiple risks, ranging from premature births to newborn death including congenital malformations.
Pregnancy becomes “a source of anxiety” due to climate
According to a survey that Simon Stiell referenced in his speech, which surveyed maternal health professionals in five countries (including Australia, the United Kingdom and Brazil), 73% of them reported an increase in complications linked to extreme heat waves affecting pregnant women in the last five years.
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“Pregnancy should be a time of hope, but for millions of people it becomes a source of anxiety,” as “extreme heat waves and other climate-related disasters strain health systems and threaten essential resources such as food, water and electricity,” noted the UN official.
“Climate change should under no circumstances be invoked to justify a reduction in the safety of pregnancies and childbirths,” he also insisted.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Complications from extreme heat waves affecting pregnant women will continue to increase in the coming years if no climate change mitigation measures are taken.
Likely · Within years
Open Questions
- What are the exact physiological mechanisms by which extreme heat affects pregnancy?
- How can health systems better prepare to protect pregnant women during heat waves?
- What public policies are needed to mitigate the impact of climate change on maternal health?
