A report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has highlighted the insufficient preparedness of the health sector to safeguard people from the impacts of heat and extreme weather events, even as the frequency of such events is expected to increase. 

• The health sector is inadequately prepared to safeguard people from the effects of heat and other extreme weather events, as revealed by a report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 
• This is even as it is predicted that by 2030, there will be around 560 medium- to large-scale disaster events every year, or 1.5 per day. 
• The health of the most vulnerable countries and populations will be impacted by the extreme weather events resulting from climate change, including heatwaves, droughts, floods and wildfires.
• Most national climate plans, known as NDCs, now recognise climate change as a threat to human well-being and planetary health. Climate targets are also increasingly taking into account the benefits that mitigation activities, including climate services, can have on human health.
• Climate information and services play a crucial role in reducing disaster risks and minimising the impact of climate hazards on public health. Despite this, less than 25 per cent of health ministries across the world utilise climate information and services to monitor health risks related to climate sensitivity, according to WMO’s State of Climate Services, 2023.