UN climate chief warns extreme heat threatens pregnant women and newborns

Speaking at the pre-COP gathering in Nadi, Fiji, UN climate chief Simon Stiell warned that soaring temperatures are endangering pregnant women and their newborns, citing a recent global survey. The questionnaire, administered to 1,000 midwives and doctors across five continents, revealed that more than two-thirds had witnessed heat-related complications such as premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight and maternal illness in the last five years.

Funded by the Wellcome charitable foundation, the study also noted that nearly all respondents had cared for patients suffering from heat-induced dehydration and feeding difficulties. Wellcome chairwoman Julia Gillard emphasized that extreme heat is an "invisible killer" and urged leaders to act on the evidence. Stiell described the emerging link between climate-driven heat and pregnancy as a new fault line in the climate emergency, warning of growing inequality and injustice. The comments come ahead of the main COP31 summit, which will be held next month in Turkey.