28th October 2026
The 2026 Lancet Countdown UK Policy Priorities published today call for accelerated action on the decarbonisation of energy, increasing access to healthy and sustainable food and governance mechanisms to improve cross-sector working to protect health from the impact of climate change.
2026 Lancet Countdown UK Policy Priorities
The 2026 policy priorities call for action to:
- Accelerate the decarbonisation of public sector energy use to protect health.
- Transform public sector food procurement with plant-rich food standards to improve health, increase food security and reduce emissions.
- Adopt a ‘Health and Climate Change in all Policies’ approach to accelerate cross-sector action on climate resilience and protect health.
These priorities provide practical mechanisms for taking urgent action to reduce emissions, mitigate against climate change and save lives.
The 2026 data from the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change highlights current and growing threats to the UK that need urgent action. The report reveals:
- Extreme heat threatens health, lives and livelihoods, reducing labour productivity and placing growing pressure on the NHS.
- Wildfires, droughts, and dust storms are increasing in frequency and severity due to climate change. These events degrade air quality, disrupt food and water systems, and elevate risks of respiratory, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases. In the UK, health systems face rising demand during and after such events.
- Fossil fuel combustion contributes to harmful air pollution, increasing the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and premature mortality. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the UK’s annual mean concentration of fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) was 10 µg/m³, twice the WHO’s recommended annual guideline of 5 µg/m³. Reducing dependence on polluting fuels can improve air quality and protect health, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Shifting to healthier, plant-rich diets can reduce agricultural emissions and improve health outcomes. In the UK, diet-related risks contribute to preventable deaths and chronic disease burden.
The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change thank all who have been involved in the development of the brief:
Authors:
- Charlie Brown, Director, UK Health Alliance on Climate Change
- Hanan Burale, Policy and Research Officer, Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP)
- Dr Eleanor Damm, Environmental Sustainability Working Group, Intensive Care Society and Resident Doctor Anaesthetics and Intensive Care Medicine, West Midlands
- Rachel Evans, Senior Policy Advisor, Population Health, British Medical Association
- Dr Mark Harber, special adviser on health sustainability and climate change, Royal College of Physicians
- Dr Shireen Kassam, Director, Plant-Based Health Professionals UK
- Dr Laura-Jane Smith, Trustee of Sustainability, British Thoracic Society and Consultant Respiratory Physician, Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Professor Rich Withnall, Chief Executive Officer, Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management
- Suzannne Wood, Head of Population Health, British Medical Association
Contributors:
- Prof Jill Belch, University of Dundee and Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, Chair of Climate Café
- Adrian Byrne, Director Real Zero
- Enrique Castro-Sanchez, Senior Lecturer in Medical Education (Interprofessional Education Lead), Kent & Medway Medical School, University of Kent, UK and Honorary Lecturer, NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance, Imperial College London
- Monisha Chinthala, Director of Interdisciplinary, Planetary Health Report Card
- Rose Gallagher, Professional lead Sustainability, Royal College of Nursing
- Dr Daniel Harwood, Chair, Royal College of Psychiatrists Planetary Health and Sustainability Committee
- Dr Rajeka Lazarus, Consultant Senior Lecturer in Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, University of Bristol & President, British Infection Association
- Gloria Munoz-Figueroa, Co-Chair Sustainable Kidney Care Committee UK Kidney Association, Lead Nurse Advanced Kidney Care Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust, Lead Nurse London Kidney Network
- Eleanor Roaf, Chair, Climate and Health Committee, Faculty of Public Health
- Venkateshwaran Sivaraj, Consultant Physician in HIV Medicine, Trustee, British HIV Association
- Dr Honey Smith, Director of Greener Practice
- Dr Neil Swanson, British Cardiovascular Society