While the need to address the impacts of climate change on human health is increasingly recognised, the time is now to move from planning to action and to improve awareness among public health and healthcare practitioners to make Europe’s population more resilient, according to the EEA report ‘Climate change as a threat to health and well-being in Europe: focus on heat and infectious diseases.’

The EEA report focuses on the impact high temperatures are having on the population, which leads to the largest number of fatalities associated with natural hazards in Europe. Due to climate change, these fatalities are projected to increase substantially unless adaptation measures are taken. Climate-sensitive infectious diseases— another emerging threat — are projected to further spread northwards and cause a higher disease burden in Europe. The report draws on knowledge developed for the European Climate and Health Observatory, which provides access to a wide range of relevant data, tools, publications and other resources informing about climate change impacts for human health.

Action to protect vulnerable groups to heatwaves

Increasingly frequent, long and intense heatwaves in combination with an ageing population and growing urbanisation mean that more vulnerable populations are exposed to high temperatures, particularly in southern and central Europe. The location of many schools and hospitals in areas experiencing the urban heat island effect, further exacerbating high temperatures, calls for urgent adaptation of those facilities. The rise in temperatures also affect occupational health and safety, resulting in an average annual loss of 16 hours per worker in highly exposed sectors, with the largest losses in southern Europe.