[Comment] Physical inactivity: another casualty of climate change

Physical inactivity: another casualty of climate change Affiliations & Notes aSydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia bThe Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia cSchool of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada dDepartment of Sport Industry Studies, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea Article Info Publication History: Published April 2026 DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(25)00518-2 External LinkAlso available on ScienceDirect External Link Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. Linked Articles - Effects of climate change on physical inactivity: a panel data study across 156 countries from 2000 to 2022The Lancet Global HealthApril, 2026 Download started OkWorldwide, climate change is inflicting devastating and uneven impacts on health.1 Although much attention has been focused on direct effects, emerging evidence suggests that climate change might also indirectly affect health by diminishing opportunities for physical activity2—a crucial yet overlooked casualty of a warming planet. Responsible for extensive disease and economic burden worldwide, physical inactivity remains a leading risk factor for major chronic diseases. Yet, around a third of the world's population remains insufficiently active with no signs of improvement.3 Because physical activity is a context-specific behaviour and highly sensitive to environmental conditions,4 rising temperatures and extreme weather events could put physiological strain on the body, making outdoor physical activity undesirable and even dangerous. To date, few studies have systematically quantified the relationship between climate change and physical inactivity on a global scale. In a new analysis, Christian García-Witulski and colleagues5 estimated the global effects of temperature distribution on physical inactivity. Using over two decades of panel data from 156 countries, a clear link was found between higher temperatures (operationalised as the number of months with a mean temperature of >27·8°C) and a higher prevalence of physical inactivity. The effects were stronger in women than men and in populations in low-income and middle-income countries (particularly across equatorial regions) than high-income countries. Using historical data, the authors provided a projection for physical inactivity by 2050, indicating further deterioration. These findings imply that continued warming will inflate the global disease and economic burden attributable to physical inactivity and deepen existing inequities in health and climate vulnerability. Increasingly, physical activity is recognised as a fundamental human right.6 Yet, realising this right has become increasingly challenging. Extreme heat, paired with a lack of accessible climate-resilient infrastructure, impedes safe and enjoyable participation. Structural inequalities, such as unequal access to green and blue spaces, shade, and air-conditioned facilities, further intensify existing inequalities in physical activity participation. As temperatures continue to rise, people in low-income and middle-income countries and disadvantaged communities might face double jeopardy—those who primarily engage in choice-based physical activity (eg, exercise or sport for health or leisure)7 might reduce their physical activity, whereas those who primarily engage in necessity-based physical activity (eg, occupation or some transportation-related movement)7 might experience more strains and harms from hazardous environments. Conversely, in higher-income countries and advantaged communities, people might retreat to indoor facilities for exercise, further increasing carbon emissions through air-conditioning and electrically powered equipment (eg, treadmills), and hence exacerbate climate change. This duality highlights the moral complexity of promoting physical activity in a warming world and underscores the need for equity considerations. The study by García-Witulski and colleagues provides much needed and convincing evidence, but research gaps remain. The complex and dynamic bidirectional relationship between climate change and physical activity is less studied.2 Although some types of physical activity, such as professional sports events, exacerbate emissions, other types of physical activity, such as active transport and gardening, can benefit climate change mitigation.8 Meanwhile, climate change constrains access to quality outdoor activity opportunities.4 More importantly, future research should move from identifying problems to exploring solutions, particularly those that simultaneously address climate change and physical inactivity. Future research should also investigate how physical activity promotion and climate resilience intersect around the world. Applying systems-oriented, multi-sectoral approaches that advance planetary health can reveal key entry points for leveraging physical activity to strengthen climate resilience. For example, future-proofing cities through compact and walkable urban design and adaptable transport systems helps sustain physical activity and transport efficiency with reduced environmental footprints.9,10 Expanding urban green spaces not only cools their vicinities but also enhances biodiversity, water management, and mental wellbeing, while also increasing equitable opportunities for physical activity.11,12 Such strategies, if implemented in an evidence-based, deliberate fashion, could result in even broader benefits beyond human health.10,11 Finally, to support equitable global progress, research, practice, and policies must prioritise addressing disparities to ensure that climate–physical activity policies do not reinforce or perpetuate existing hierarchies of privilege. Physical inactivity and climate change are deeply interconnected challenges of our time. Promoting physical activity is not only essential for human health but could also offer co-benefits for climate resilience. Yet, rising temperatures increasingly threaten the ability to engage in physical activity. Addressing these challenges requires systemic, multi-sectoral approaches that advance planetary health. Framing physical activity as a fundamental human right and embedding climate resilience into public health and environmental and social policies would be crucial to create physical activity-enabling and climate-resilient environments. Ultimately, leveraging physical activity within a climate-resilient framework is both a moral imperative and a practical strategy for sustainable and equitable planetary health. Competing Interests We declare no competing interests. References 1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Climate change 2023: synthesis report https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_SYR_FullVolume.pdf Date: 2023 Date accessed: November 15, 2025 2. Franco Silva, M ∙ Favarão Leão, AL ∙ O'Connor, Á ∙ et al. Understanding the relationships between physical activity and climate change: an umbrella review J Phys Act Health. 2024; 21:1263-1275 3. Strain, T ∙ Flaxman, S ∙ Guthold, R ∙ et al. National, regional, and global trends in insufficient physical activity among adults from 2000 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 507 population-based surveys with 5·7 million participants Lancet Glob Health. 2024; 12:e1232-e1243 4. Lee, E-Y ∙ Park, S ∙ Kim, Y-B ∙ et al. Ambient environmental conditions and active outdoor play in the context of climate change: a systematic review and meta-synthesis Environ Res. 2025; 283, 122146 5. García-Witulski, C ∙ Rabassa, M ∙ Melo, O ∙ et al. Effects of climate change on physical inactivity: a panel data study across 156 countries from 2000 to 2022 Lancet Glob Health. 2026; 14:e500-e511 6. Messing, S ∙ Krennerich, M ∙ Abu-Omar, K ∙ et al. Physical activity as a human right? Health Hum Rights. 2021; 23:201-211 7. Salvo, D ∙ Jáuregui, A ∙ Adlakha, D ∙ et al. When moving is the only option: the role of necessity versus choice for understanding and promoting physical activity in low- and middle-income countries Annu Rev Public Health. 2023; 44, 15169 8. Abu-Omar, K ∙ Chevance, G ∙ Tcymbal, A ∙ et al. Physical activity promotion, human and planetary health—a conceptual framework and suggested research priorities J Clim Change Health. 2023; 13, 100262 9. Garcia, L ∙ Hafezi, M ∙ Lima, L ∙ et al. Future-proofing cities against negative city mobility and public health impacts of impending natural hazards: a system dynamics modelling study Lancet Planet Health. 2025; 9:e207-e218 10. Ding, D ∙ Luo, M ∙ Infante, MFP ∙ et al. The co-benefits of active travel interventions beyond physical activity: a systematic review Lancet Planet Health. 2024; 8:e790-e803 11. Soltanifard, H ∙ Amani-Beni, M The cooling effect of urban green spaces as nature-based solutions for mitigating urban heat: insights from a decade-long systematic review Clim Risk Manage. 2025; 49, 100731 12. Kreisler, T ∙ Kambach, S ∙ Arránz Becker, O ∙ et al. The relationship between green space and physical activity. A systematic review and meta-analysis Urban For Urban Green. 2025; 112, 128971