Climate change threatens health in Europe: urgent action needed

In a recent report published in The Lancet Public Health, experts discussed how climate change is affecting human health in Europe based on 42 indicators, including ticks, food security and leishmaniasis.

Delays in action and health inequalities

The researchers highlight that by delaying meaningful climate action, European governments are missing opportunities to improve and protect the health of their citizens, while worsening health inequalities through a disproportionate impact on vulnerable and high-risk groups.

Constant deterioration of health

Global temperatures are approaching a 1.5°C increase, which if exceeded would have major impacts on climate health.

Heat-related mortality has risen sharply in Europe, to 17.2 deaths per 100,000 people. As the risk of heat stress increases, vulnerable populations reduce their physical activity, which in turn increases the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases. Heat exposure also affects the economic and social determinants of health, reducing the workforce.

Rising temperatures also increase the range of disease vectors and pathogens, including dengue, zika, leishmaniasis and malaria, which can colonize previously inhospitable regions, increasing the risk of a major epidemic.

Danger of forest fires and drought

The risk of forest fires and droughts is also showing an increasing trend across Europe. The climate emergency has increased the number of people in Europe facing severe or moderate food insecurity by 12 million.

Climate change and health inequalities

The health impacts of climate change are deeply interconnected and do not affect everyone equally. Impacts are unevenly distributed due to differences in adaptive capacity, sensitivity and exposure, which are determined by marginalization, socioeconomic development and inequality (historical and current).

Often the main impacts of climate change are experienced by groups least responsible for the problem; these groups may also not be recognized as vulnerable or prioritized through policy measures.

In European countries, those most affected by the health impacts of climate change are indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, displaced persons, migrants, low-income groups, pregnant women and women in childbirth.

For example, women are twice as likely as men to experience heat-related mortality or die from malnutrition. Food insecurity is significantly higher among low-income households. People living in highly deprived areas are more likely to be exposed to harmful particulate matter from wildfires.

Often, policies and adaptation strategies are poorly designed; they do not take equity into account and may exacerbate or perpetuate environmental and health inequalities. The authors call for further research that delves into the uneven impacts of climate change on health to ensure adequate measures are taken to protect public health.

Accelerating climate action

The contribution of European countries to global greenhouse gas emissions has historically been and remains high. These emissions have brought Europe economic growth, while other countries with low historical emissions are disproportionately affected by current and future environmental changes.

Climate change is thus linked to issues of environmental and social justice. In 2021, Europe emitted about 5.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide per capita, nearly three times more than the average person in South or Central America and six times more than a person in Africa. Despite this, Europe has failed to reduce its emissions and will not achieve carbon neutrality until the end of the century.

Moreover, because Europe imports services and goods produced elsewhere, the continent is also responsible for environmental burdens, including air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, in other regions, with significant impacts on health and climate. The contribution of coal to Europe’s overall energy supply increased in 2021, and more than half of European countries continue to subsidize fossil fuels.

The authors highlight the need to mitigate climate change through decisive action and the benefits of such action, including reduced premature death and illness. Scientific and corporate engagement with climate and health issues has increased, but individual, political and media participation remains low.

Conclusions

This comprehensive study of the health impacts of climate change in European countries highlights the ongoing negative impacts on population health and notes that without appropriate and rapid action these negative impacts will continue to increase.

The researchers noted that climate change is no longer a theoretical, hypothetical scenario expected to unfold in the future; it is an ongoing emergency that is rapidly growing in severity. Billions of people are at risk from this crisis, and European countries have an important role to play in mitigating its impact.