India, March 17 -- Rising global temperatures due to climate change could push millions of people into physical inactivity by 2050, potentially leading to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths and billions of dollars in lost productivity, according to a modelling study published in The Lancet Global Health.

As the planet warms, increasing heat is expected to limit people's ability to remain physically active. Physical inactivity is already a major global health concern, with nearly one in three adults failing to meet the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for weekly exercise.

The study analysed data from 156 countries between 2000 and 2022 to project how rising temperatures may influence physical activity levels through 2050...