Even as one in four deaths worldwide in 2010 was caused by heart disease or stroke the top two killers that have remained constant for the past 40 years human mortality caused by climate change has shown the most dangerous spurt over the last four decades.

The Global Burden of Disease Study, 2010, published by the British medical journal, The Lancet, on Thursday shows that there has been a 523% increase in mortality due to "exposure to forces of nature" the highest across 235 causes of death.