Food, labour, inequalities: The call for human health on Earth Day 2026
The impacts of climate change on health in Europe are a present reality. To continue treating them merely as future threats means ignoring real people and real life. The 2026 Lancet Countdown Europe Report – released today – makes the message clear and urgent.
Heat extremes are becoming more frequent and severe, with a 318% increase in heat-related health alerts compared to the 1990s. Nearly all European regions have recorded an increase in heat-related mortality over the past decade, showing how climate change is already affecting public health across the continent.
However, the implications extend well beyond health outcomes.
“The effects of climate change are already being felt in Europe today,” CMCC scientist Shouro Dasgupta, a contributor to the report, notes. “More importantly, these impacts are multifaceted, including increasing food insecurity, reducing labour supply and economic output.”