Information from Governance Regulation reporting on adaptation (2023, 2021)

The health sector is addressed in the Climate Change Adaptation Development Plan until 2030 (NAS, 2017). It sets eight adaption objectives based on the priority sectors of Estonia’s economic and administrative structure, including improving health and rescue capabilities.

One of the sub-goals of the Population Health Development Plan 2020–2030 is a health-supporting environment, and the readiness and flexibility to consider the impact of climate change on health is stated as one of the prerequisites for achieving it. According to the development plan, it must be taken into account that poor people are most vulnerable to climate change (e.g. more frequent storms and floods in winter and hot periods in summer), as they may lack the means and network to buffer against the impact of climate change or to mitigate climate risks.

Adaptation to the effects of climate change is handled in the Emergency Act, based on which the Health Board has provided guidance in the preparation of the “Epidemic Emergency Risk Assessment”. In the case of a healthcare event, the leading authority for the preparation of the emergency risk analysis is the Health Board. Activities and plans stipulated by the Water Act aim to manage the potential damaging consequences arising from floods to several areas including human health.

The measures of the health sector mainly stress increasing the awareness of the population of the health impacts of climate-related risks and improvement of the monitoring capability of the healthcare system. Increasing risks call for further studies to specify the nature of the risks in detail. The main adaptation measures applied in the sector are the development of information, monitoring, and support systems and drawing up action plans to increase the efficiency of the management of the health risks arising from climate change and the management of the health risks; and increasing rescue capability.

Climate change has been included as a horizontal topic to several sectoral development documents and development plans, as well as long-term strategies including the Population Health Development Plan 2020–2030.

At the sub-national level, risk mitigation plans to prevent and mitigate damage caused by natural floods to human health, property and environment for Eastern-Estonia, Western-Estonia and Koiva watersheds were approved in 2022. Measures and guidelines of risk mitigation plans must be taken into account in development plans, planning decisions and crisis management plans of national and local governments.

Adaptation actions and measures addressing the health sector include:

• Development of information, monitoring, and support systems and drawing up of action plans to increase the efficiency of the management of the health risks arising from climate change, including health risks resulting from meteorological and hydrological factors, landscape fires, water quality, intensive pollen dispersal, algae blooms, disease vectors, and parasites.

Information from EEA report. Climate change and health: the national policy overview in Europe (2022)

National policies on climate change adaptation and national health strategies were analysed to identify the coverage of climate-related impacts on health (physical, mental, and social) and the types of interventions addressing them. The report provides a European overview, while the geographical coverage of various aspects of national policies across Europe can be visualized using the map viewer. The results for Estonia are summarised here.

Policy documents reviewed:

Climate Change Adaptation Development Plan until 2030

National Health Plan (2009-2020)

Aspects covered in the reviewed policy document:

Resources in the Observatory catalogue on Estonia