U.N. Climate Chief Warns Rising Heat Is Putting Mothers and Babies at Risk

NADI, Fiji — Extreme heat is placing pregnant women and unborn children at growing risk, United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell warned Monday as officials gathered in the Pacific ahead of next month’s COP31 climate summit in Turkey.

Meetings in Nadi, Fiji, and the low-lying island nation of Tuvalu are intended to focus international attention on communities already experiencing rising seas, stronger heat waves and damage to marine ecosystems.

Stiell cited a recent survey showing that more than two-thirds of health professionals across five continents had witnessed heat-related complications during the past five years. He said climate-driven heat during pregnancy is increasingly associated with premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight and maternal health complications.

Plan International also warned in a separate report that climate disasters can increase the risks of child marriage and teenage pregnancy by disrupting education, health care and other services on which vulnerable girls depend.

Pacific leaders are using the talks to demand stronger commitments from wealthier nations. Fiji Climate Minister Lynda Tabuya called for a “just transition” that provides meaningful support to countries suffering the greatest consequences of climate change.

An August U.N. report estimated that developing countries require between $310 billion and $365 billion for climate adaptation. However, only $26 billion in adaptation financing was available in 2023.

Australia, which is leading this year’s climate negotiations while remaining a major coal exporter, has faced criticism from some Pacific nations over the expansion of fossil-fuel projects. Tabuya said officials held “frank discussion” with Australian Climate Minister Chris Bowen but emphasized the need to find common ground before COP31.

Pacific governments are also renewing calls to preserve the international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, despite the threshold reportedly being breached in 2025.

The stakes are especially high for island nations. The U.N. report warned that as many as 1.2 billion people could face displacement by 2050, while Pacific countries are experiencing sea-level rise at twice the global average.

Delegates will travel to Tuvalu, where officials are already preparing for the possibility of relocating residents. In coastal villages across Fiji, residents say climate change is no longer a distant prediction but a daily reality.

“The sea level is rising,” marine conservationist Manoa Duwai said, urging developed nations not to forget communities on the front lines.

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