2023 XDI Global Hospital Infrastructure Physical Climate Risk Report

This report, by XDI, reveals the risk of damage from 6 different climate change hazards (including flooding, wind and fire) to over 200,000 hospitals, including  more than 23,000 in Europe, from 1990 until the end of the century. The results are based on an analysis combining climate hazard projections with typical hospital-specific information and spatial context data to calculate risk probabilities.

The report finds that without a rapid phase out of fossil fuels (RCP 8.5) and hospital adaptation measures, by 2100 Europe could have up to four times more or over 1,000 hospitals at high risk of total or partial shutdown from extreme weather events, which means for some countries that up to 29% of all hospitals are at risk. Rapid emission cuts could lessen the impact to a doubling of the damage risk. Analysis suggests that global warming has already resulted in a 27% increase in risk of damage to hospital infrastructure in Europe since 1990. Coastal inundation and flooding are the main driving hazards, however modelling suggests that extreme wind also increases damage in a number of countries.

By 2100, Italy, France and Germany will have the highest number of hospitals at high risk of total or partial shutdown, ranging between 137 and 82 hospitals, i.e. for some of these countries almost twice the number of hospitals at risk today. Other countries, such as Denmark, Albania, Belgium and Ireland could experience an exponential (500-1000%) increase in damage risk to hospital infrastructure. Analysis suggests that Greece has experienced the greatest increase in risk of damage to hospital infrastructure from climate change in Europe to date, with an 83% increase in risk of damage since 1990.