Heatwaves on the rise and the spread of dengue, malaria, West Nile and Vibrio in Europe. In the new report of the European Environmental Agency, all the vulnerabilities and regional differences of the main climate threats to human health in the old continent, but also the solutions to cope with them.

High temperatures and the spread of infectious diseases are among the major emerging threats to human health associated with climate change in Europe and are projected to increase substantially. The report “Climate change as a threat to health and well-being in Europe: focus on heat and infectious diseases”, recently published by the European Environmental Agency through ETC/CCA, the European Topic Centre on Climate Change impacts, vulnerability and Adaptation, focuses on these threats and calls for a stepping up of action in both mitigation and adaptation to climate change through a wide range of available solutions and interventions.

Heatwaves, highlights the report, are already responsible for the largest number of fatalities associated with natural hazards in Europe. Despite high average living standards, Europe’s ageing society and prevalence of chronic diseases, together with growing urbanization, make its population particularly vulnerable to heat. This high vulnerability, combined with the projected substantial global warming, creates a dire picture of a future with growing numbers of heat-related deaths and ailments, as well as reduced labour productivity, affecting well-being and prosperity across Europe. Indeed, increasing temperatures also affect occupational health and safety, with an average annual loss of 16 hours per worker (compared with the 20th century baseline) in highly exposed sectors, with the largest losses in southern Europe.

The report also discusses climate-sensitive infectious diseases as another type of emerging threat. The increasing suitability of the climate for various pathogens or their vectors may translate into higher likelihood of disease transmission in larger parts of Europe. Combined with the growing number of travel-imported disease cases, this increases the likelihood of local outbreaks.

Authors present regional differences in the presence of threats, which call for the development of specific strategies. In particular, the current and projected exposure to heat is highest in southern Europe, resulting in increasing mortality rates and negative impacts on labour. Central and eastern Europe emerge as having the highest current climatic suitability for the transmission of dengue, malaria and West Nile virus. The population’s vulnerability to high temperatures is highest in northern and western Europe as a result of high levels of urbanisation and high proportions of the elderly in the population. The risk of Vibrio infections is highest around the Baltic Sea coastlines.

Moreover, the report draws attention to social inequalities as drivers of vulnerability (in the case of the elderly, young children, and those with compromised immune systems) and exposure (for those working in hot indoor environments or outside, and low-income groups) to climate-related health threats.

According to the authors, nearly all deaths associated with high temperatures are preventable in the European context. The report also looks at measures to reduce the health impacts of heat and infectious diseases in Europe that involve all levels of governance. Reducing the health impacts of heat requires implementing a wide range of solutions, including effective heat health action plans, urban greening, appropriate building design and construction, and adjusting working times and conditions. Effective monitoring of vectors and disease surveillance enable the development of early warnings and targeting of vector control or vaccination.

The report highlights the urgent need for education and training of public health and healthcare professionals on the threats from climate change, for increasing the resilience of health systems and for monitoring, evaluation and dissemination of knowledge on the effectiveness of solutions, that should always consider vulnerability and exposure of different demographic and socio-economic groups needs.

This report draws on knowledge developed for the European Climate and Health Observatory. The knowledge includes the set of indicators developed by the Lancet Countdown in Europe and the Copernicus Climate Change Service, case studies undertaken in various European countries, and national policy analyses.

The report was realized by ETC/CCA, the European Topic Centre on Climate Change impacts, vulnerability and Adaptation, a Consortium of European Organizations coordinated by the CMCC Foundation that assists the European Environment Agency (EEA) in supporting EU policy development on climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation and disaster risk prevention.

For more information: 

Climate change as a threat to health and well-being in Europe: focus on heat and infectious diseases, EEA Report No 7/2022, 978-92-9480-508-9 (ISBN)