Health · Healthcare & Policy · 12 hrs ago
Julia Gillard urges countries to prepare health systems for extreme heat
Julia Gillard says countries must prepare health systems for extreme heat as climate change makes hot periods more dangerous.
Gillard, a former Australian prime minister and chair of the Wellcome charitable foundation, is speaking ahead of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, which Australia is co-hosting with Turkey.
Health systems are a priority theme at COP31 for the first time, and the summit is due to open with a day focused on health.
Evidence suggests extreme heat can harm pregnant women and unborn children, including by increasing the risk of premature birth and maternal hypertension.
The UK’s record-hot summer showed the risks: heat contributed to cancelled operations, and the UK Health Security Agency reported 2,877 heat-associated deaths during two heatwaves.
Gillard points to an NHS investment of more than £32 million to help hospitals in England adapt, and urges countries to include heat measures in their health plans.
More research and training are still needed, and Wellcome says it is studying how heat affects maternal and foetal health.
Julia Gillard says countries must prepare their health systems for the effects of extreme heat.
Gillard, a former Australian prime minister and chair of Wellcome, is urging greater research and action on heat-related health risks.
For the first time, health systems are among the 10 priority themes at a COP climate summit.
The summit is expected to focus on how extreme heat affects pregnant women and unborn children.
Wellcome has committed £160mn to research on how heat affects human health in 21 countries.
- Who
- Julia Gillard, former Australian prime minister and chair of Wellcome, is urging countries to act.
- What
- She says countries must prepare health systems for extreme heat and invest in research and public policy.
- When
- The article was published on 9 November 2026.
- Where
- The appeal is linked to the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, which Australia is co-hosting with Turkey.
- Why
- Extreme heat can harm human health, including maternal and foetal health, and health systems need to be ready.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Glasgow COP meeting began a period in which health took a progressively larger role at successive climate summits.
At COP30 in Brazil, philanthropic organisations including Wellcome pledged $300mn to accelerate solutions on extreme heat and other climate-related issues.
The NHS in England announced an investment of more than £32mn to help hospitals adapt to more frequent extreme heat.
The summit in Antalya is set to include a health day and has made resilient health systems one of its 10 priority themes.
- Wellcome heat-health funding
- £160mn committed to organisations in 21 countries
- NHS England investment
- More than £32mn announced in September 2026
- COP31 location
- Antalya, Turkey
- COP31 hosting
- Australia and Turkey
- Wellcome survey
- 1,000 health professionals around the world were surveyed
What people are saying
ready their health systems for an era of climate change
We are hoping that a deeper understanding of the intersections of climate and human health unlocks more political will and appetite to come together and address climate change overall.
we continue to believe there needs to be more research
It’s something that we need to see globally