The Climate Crisis is a Health Crisis – And the European Region is in the Hot Seat

New commission will offer pragmatic and cost-effective health sector solutions to address climate change

In response to escalating climate-driven health threats, including emergencies, WHO/Europe is today launching the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health (PECCH), a bold new initiative to confront one of the defining health challenges of our time.

Chaired by former Icelandic Prime Minister Her Excellency Katrín Jakobsdóttir and supported by Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Sir Andrew Haines from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the PECCH brings together 11 commissioners from across the WHO European Region. They bring a rich diversity of experience at the helm of political and scientific, national and international institutions and organizations. Together they will deliver recommendations for actionable solutions at the intersection of health and climate.

Through its public and expert hearings, the PECCH will also actively engage with representatives from other regions to work together on shared solutions. Especially important will be the involvement of small and island Member States, which are often the first to bear the brunt of the climate crisis.

“It’s time to acknowledge an undeniable truth: the climate crisis is a health crisis. It’s already killing us, and without urgent action, it will get much worse,” says Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

“Our health systems are already under pressure, but they can also be part of the solution,” Dr Kluge adds. “That’s why I have convened the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health. Led by former Icelandic Prime Minister Her Excellency Katrín Jakobsdóttir, this Commission will produce affordable and actionable health sector recommendations to address climate change in order to help improve health outcomes while lowering costs. From reducing waste to building energy-efficient facilities to saving lives through heat–health early warning systems, this Commission will explore a wide range of new and existing health sector solutions.”

Ground zero for climate–health impacts

The European Region is the fastest warming of all WHO regions. Nearly every climate-health indicator – from heat-related mortality to climate anxiety – is worsening.

One third of the world's heat-related deaths already occur in the Region, and 4 of our warmest years on record have all occurred since 2020. One tenth of the urban population in the Region is currently living in flood-prone areas, and climate change is projected to result in more frequent and more intense heavy precipitation and sea-level rise – making floods 9 times more likely.

At a global level, nearly half of humanity (3.6 billion people) already lives in areas highly susceptible to climate change. Meanwhile, 80% of the population in the European Region is expected to live in urban areas by 2030, making our cities and towns the frontlines in the fight against climate change.

In spite of the mounting evidence of the current and projected existential threat that climate change poses to our societies, political action – including within the health sector – struggles to match the urgency and scale of the response required to keep people and planet safe.

“The climate crisis is not only an environmental emergency, it’s a growing public health challenge,” says Her Excellency Katrín Jakobsdóttir. “The year 2024 was the hottest on record, and we are fast hurtling towards a catastrophic 3 °C rise in global temperatures this century. More than 100 000 people across 35 countries in the European Region died due to heat in 2022 and 2023 combined.”

She emphasizes, “We must recognize the interplay between rising temperatures, air pollution and changing ecosystems resulting from human-induced climate change are already affecting the health and well-being of communities around the European Region and the world. These changes are a threat to our safety and security. Addressing the health impacts of climate change is not optional – it is a necessity for resilient communities and vital to ensure social justice, equity, intergenerational responsibility and human dignity.”

Why it matters

• The climate crisis disproportionately affects the health of the most vulnerable, including children, older people, pregnant women, those who are immunocompromised and indigenous populations.
• Heat, floods and new disease patterns are on the rise, with massive mental and physical health consequences. These effects drain resources from already overstretched health systems and budgets.
• The health sector alone contributes roughly 5% of global emissions – more than all commercial air travel.
• Our addiction to fossil fuels is killing us: air pollution alone causes 7 million deaths per year globally, including half a million deaths in the European Region.

“The scientific evidence is unequivocal: climate change poses a serious and escalating threat to human health,” explains Professor Sir Andrew Haines. “From the spread of infectious diseases to heat-related illness and food insecurity, the risks are widespread and disproportionately affect the most vulnerable. That’s why we must act decisively to reduce emissions and invest in adaptation strategies that protect health, reduce inequality and build more resilient health systems fit for this new, more unpredictable world.”

The PECCH will amplify expert voices from science, policy-making, academia, youth organizations and civil society. Its goal is to provide evidence-based arguments and recommendations to help make health systems climate-resilient, slash emissions and future-proof communities against the growing health risks of a rapidly changing planet.

Dr Kluge concludes, “The Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health represents a vital step forward in confronting one of the most urgent challenges of our time, and is doing so at a time of mounting fiscal constraints. National and multilateral budgets for climate action are dwindling just as the needs are rising exponentially. That’s why the Commission will be laser-focused on delivering workable health sector solutions – so that we may translate powerful evidence into concrete action.”

Source: WHO Europe