Europe’s Warming Crisis

I recently spent some time in Scotland and the UK, and something about the weather there made me pause. The skies shifted quickly from bright sun to heavy rain, and locals spoke about how unpredictable things had become in recent years. That trip got me thinking more deeply about how climate change is transforming life across Europe — and how it’s increasingly becoming a public health crisis, not just an environmental one.

Europe, it turns out, is warming faster than any other WHO region, and the health effects are becoming harder to ignore. From rising heat-related deaths to growing anxiety about the future, nearly every climate-linked health indicator has worsened. Between 2022 and 2023 alone, more than 100,000 people across 35 European countries died due to heat — an almost unimaginable number.

This week, WHO/Europe launched a major new effort to confront this crisis: the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health (PECCH). Led by former Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the commission brings together 11 leading experts to develop practical solutions — from cutting emissions to protecting vulnerable communities and strengthening health systems.

As Jakobsdóttir put it, “The climate crisis is not only an environmental emergency, it is a growing public health challenge.” The connection is clear: rising temperatures, worsening air pollution, and disrupted ecosystems are already affecting the health and well-being of millions.

It’s sobering to realize that a third of all heat-related deaths worldwide now occur in Europe. And as Andrew Haines, WHO’s climate-health advisor, warned, climate change is driving everything from heatstroke to food insecurity to the spread of infectious diseases.

My time in the UK made these facts feel far less abstract. It’s one thing to read about climate data; it’s another to see how people’s daily lives and even their sense of stability are changing. Europe’s warming isn’t a distant concern — it’s a sign of what’s coming for all of us if we don’t act with urgency and empathy.

Published by - Anya Pal - June 25th 2025

Published By - Anya Pal

April 15th 2024