Climate emergency is a health crisis ‘that is already killing us,’ says WHO

Europe is warming faster than any other WHO region, and the impact on people’s health is growing more severe. From rising death rates to increasing climate-related anxiety, nearly every health indicator linked to climate has worsened in recent years. 

In response, WHO/Europe on Wednesday launched a new initiative – the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health (PECCH) – to tackle the growing threat climate change poses to public health. 

Chaired by former Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakibsdótirr, the commission brings together 11 leading experts from across the region tasked with delivering recommendations for actionable solutions.

Deadly heat

With nearly half of humanity already living in areas highly susceptible to climate change, a third of the world’s heat-related deaths occur in the European Region.

In the years 2022 and 2023 combined, more than 100,000 people across 35 countries in the European Region died due to heat.

“The climate crisis is not only an environmental emergency, it is a growing public health challenge,” said Katrín Jakobsdóttir.

“We must recognise that the interplay among rising temperatures, air pollution and changing ecosystems resulting from human-induced climate change is already affecting the health and well-being of communities around the European Region and the world,” she said.

The commission is being tasked with providing recommendations to reduce emissions, invest in adaptation strategies that protect health, reduce inequality and build resilience.

Escalating threat

The climate crisis disproportionately affects the health of the most vulnerable.

From the spread of infectious diseases to heat-related illness and food insecurity, “climate change poses a serious and escalating threat to human health,” said Andrew Haines, chief advisor to the WHO/Europe climate-health initiative.