Researchers from the World Health Organization and other institutions are urging action to prevent climate change from further impacting people's health.

The researchers published a report of their analysis in the British medical journal The Lancet on Tuesday.

It says that because of rapidly increasing temperatures, heat-related deaths increased by 68 percent when comparing the figures from 2000 through 2004 with those from 2017 through 2021.

It also points out that climate change is affecting the spread of infectious diseases. The likelihood of dengue transmission was up 12 percent when comparing the periods of 1951 through 1960 and 2012 through 2021.

In addition, the coexistence of dengue outbreaks with the coronavirus pandemic led to aggravated pressure on health systems in many regions of South America, Asia and Africa.

From 2020 through 2021, floods in Australia, Brazil and elsewhere caused thousands of deaths.

The report notes that there is overdependence on fossil fuels and delays in introducing renewable energy.

The researchers say, "Urgent action is therefore needed to strengthen health-system resilience and to prevent a rapidly escalating loss of lives and to prevent suffering in a changing climate."