The newly released European State of the Climate 2024 annual report (ESOTC), co-published by the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation program and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), confirms what public health experts have long warned about: the health costs of climate change in Europe are rising fast, and so is the human toll.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), climate change is the greatest threat to human health in the 21st century, and the evidence on how our health is at risk keeps building. On 26 May, the EU funded research project ENBEL (Enhancing Belmont Research Action to support EU policy making on climate change and health), of which HEAL is a partner, organises an event entitled Novel climate change and health research.
It takes place as part of the European Public Health Week (22-26 May 2023) and will present novel research findings from the ENBEL research project, in the form of engaging videos and training materials.
Floods in Italy and record heat in Spain were just the opener to another projected summer of extreme weather events with increased health impacts.
In view of Europe’s vulnerability, decision-makers have to step up on climate adaptation, especially in cities, with prioritising those measures that protect health the most, while keeping focused on the green transformation and the 1.5 Paris agreement goal.
Anne Stauffer, Deputy Director, Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL)
ENBEL brings together international health & climate research projects funded by Belmont Forum and the EU. For more information about ENBEL and the event, follow https://twitter.com/ENBEL_H2020