During a press briefing on Wednesday, Tedros emphasized that the "climate crisis" now plays a significant role in determining human health outcomes. He cautioned that global warming could potentially trigger a "wave of hunger, migration, and disease."

Tedros stated, "In the coming months, we anticipate a range of extreme weather events, including droughts, floods, hurricanes, and heatwaves, all of which have detrimental effects on human health." He further highlighted that Monday marked the record-breaking "hottest day on record" in terms of average temperatures globally.

The Horn of Africa has already been severely impacted by a "prolonged drought" and heatwave, exerting immense pressure on local healthcare services, according to Tedros. The region, encompassing Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda, recently experienced its most severe drought in decades, leaving nearly 60 million people food insecure.

Tedros noted that some countries in the region are witnessing the "highest levels of severely malnourished children" in years, primarily due to famine. Although the drought has transitioned into heavy rain and flooding, hunger levels are expected to remain high.

On Monday, data released by the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) revealed that the global average temperature reached 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.62°F), setting a new all-time high and surpassing the previous record of 16.92 degrees.

Numerous regions, including Texas, China, and Antarctica, have also been grappling with severe heatwaves, which some climate scientists attribute to overall global warming and an unusually strong El Nino warm-weather pattern this year. El Nino, a recurring weather cycle, involves the displacement of warm air from the Pacific Ocean tropics, leading to far-reaching impacts on global temperature and rainfall patterns. The warm phase of El Nino can trigger extreme weather events, including hurricanes. Recent research suggests that such events have become more frequent over the years, allegedly due to the effects of climate change.