News

Under the framework of the global IOM umbrella initiative “Climate Mobility for National Adaptation Plans (NAPs)”, several initiatives took place within the past months.

The 12th meeting of the Working Group on Health in Climate Change (HIC), organized by the WHO Reginal Officer for Europe, convened health and environment ministries alongside key stakeholders on 30 September. Participants shared updates on global and regional climate change and health initiatives, country-level progress on heat and health, climate risk assessments, mental health, and resilient health systems. A dedicated session focused on joint planning for HIC's future work.

The EHP Partnership for Health Sector Climate Action—a European community of practice comprising 11 Member States, chaired by Ireland with support from the WHO Secretariat—convened its second focal point meeting of the year on September 17-18 in Brussels.

EEA publishes updated indicator on annual economic losses caused by weather-and climate-related extreme events in the EU Member States.

At the 2025 European Health Forum Gastein, experts gathered to discuss the growing threat of climate-driven health inequalities, emphasizing that climate change amplifies existing vulnerabilities, disproportionately affecting workers, low-income communities, and marginalized groups. Despite significant advances in research and policy discussions, a stark gap remains between knowledge and action, with panellists calling for more urgent, coordinated responses to prevent worsening health disparities. The session highlighted the need for systemic change, better funding for vulnerable populations, and stronger political momentum to address the intertwined crises of climate change and health inequality.

The European Commission launches Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda on Health and Climate Change.

Nursing educators worldwide are invited to participate in a global survey assessing how climate and planetary health are integrated into nursing programs. Your responses will help shape future curricula and strengthen efforts to prepare nurses for the health challenges posed by climate change.

Do you see synergies between national capacities and CAMS resources? Do you face air quality or environmental challenges that don’t stop at national borders? Want to help shape how CAMS serves users at national level?

A study led by ISGlobal and published in Nature Medicine estimates that over 181,000 deaths were related to heat during the summers of 2022, 2023, and 2024

A new report found that climate change intensified summer temperatures across Europe and led to an additional 16,500 more deaths compared to a summer that hadn’t been heated by human activities.

EuroHealthNet has launched a new video series on 'Climate, health equity, and the built environment' to highlight the interconnection between buildings, climate and our health through different topics including heat waves, energy poverty, and air quality. The video series is part of EuroHealthNet's call for an EU Strategy on Climate and Health. This first video takes you to a high school in Spain to learn how teachers and students are using innovative measures to reduce the impacts from heat stress on the school building, and to educate students on how to be more environmentally conscious. From greening areas to creating more shade, teachers and students are working together to protect their health and wellbeing.

The proposed list of 100 indicators under the Global Goal on Adaptation and the UAE-Belem work programme was published by the UNFCCC on 9 September. The list includes 10 indicators on the health topic, selected to monitor progress towards reducing climate-related morbidity and mortality from heat, climate-sensitive infectious diseases, occupational heat injuries, and healthcare infrastructure. They also measure progress towards coverage of essential health services, and provision of mental health and psychosocial support for climate-related events. Finally, they track the operationalisation of early warning systems, the development of vulnerability and adaptation assessments, and climate change training for the health workforce. The indicators will be negotiated at COP 30. The list can be downloaded following the link below.

This publication provides an overview of evidence and guidance on the growing challenge of workplace heat stress in the context of climate change. It highlights the health and productivity risks faced by billions of workers, especially in manual labor sectors. The report details the physiological, socioeconomic, and mental health impacts of heat stress and outlines evidence-based strategies for prevention and mitigation. It emphasizes the need for occupational heat action programmes, stakeholder collaboration, and tailored interventions to protect vulnerable workers, reduce productivity losses, and support sustainable development in a warming world.

Economist Impact has published a new disease-specific framework "Vision 2030: Future adaptation strategies to minimise the impact of climate change on cardiovascular, renal & metabolic care". The framework lays out the key milestones health leaders must reach by 2030 to ensure that care for these diseases remains equitable and resilient amid intensifying climate change.

Policy briefs developed by the TRIGGER project, offering evidence-based recommendations to help shape policies across the European Union to protect the health of Europe’s population in a changing climate—especially its most vulnerable. Each brief draws on the project research at the intersection of climate change and health, highlighting urgent gaps and actionable insights for policymakers. Topics include cardiovascular and respiratory health, mental well-being, and the often-overlooked human health dimensions of environmental threats.

This e-learning course explores how key social and behavioural factors influence the spread and control of infectious disease. It also illustrates how public health interventions can leverage findings from social and behavioural sciences to fight infectious disease effectively.

EU-funded researchers are developing strategies to protect people from rising temperatures, focusing on vulnerable groups and clearer climate-health communication. Read more about their work in an article in latest issue of the EU Research and Innovation magazine, Horizon, and watch the short video on YouTube.

On World Mosquito Day, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control warns that record breaking outbreaks of West Nile virus (WNV) infection and chikungunya virus disease point to a new normal in Europe prompting a need for robust and coordinated response to protect public health across Europe. Europe is experiencing longer and more intense transmission seasons for mosquito-borne diseases, including WNV infection and chikungunya virus disease. This shift is driven by climatic and environmental factors such as rising temperatures, longer summer seasons, milder winters and changes in rainfall patterns conditions that combined create a favourable environment for mosquitoes to thrive and transmit viruses. Mosquitos kill more people annually than any other insect or animal of any kind. World Mosquito Day is held each year on August 20, the day of Sir Ronald Ross's groundbreaking discovery in 1897 that female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria, revolutionizing public health approaches to the disease.

This course helps public health professionals and authorities assess the risk of locally acquired Aedes-borne viral diseases within the specific context of their EU/EEA country and identify measures to prevent local transmission.

A new AI assistant for exploring adaptation knowledge, data, and resources was recently launched. Responses are generated by AI based on authoritative data and sources from Climate-ADAPT, the European Climate and Health Observatory and the EU Mission on Adaptation Portal, but may not be exhaustive. The search assistant can also be used in national languages.

A new report from Global Heat Health Information Network, WMO, and UNDRR highlights good practices for heat-health action planning and implementation. The findings are based on an evaluation of HHAPs in 6 countries.

Open until 04 September - have your say on the forthcoming EU Climate Resilience integrated framework.

The guidance has been developed on the basis of previous experience and currently applied practices in countries affected by locally acquired transmissions of Aedes-borne viral diseases in the EU/EEA. The measures applied are based on international and national guidelines against Aedes-borne viral diseases and general public health measures against mosquito-borne diseases. However, scientific evidence is often missing for the specificity, effectiveness and efficiency of the measures in the European context.

The 4th edition of the European Climate and Health Observatory newsletter is here!

Eurofound has completed fieldwork for the 8th edition of its e-survey on Living and Working in the EU.