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The sources used to compile the health and adaptation information for country profiles vary across countries. For EU Member States, information is based on their official adaptation reporting: 2021 adaptation reporting under the Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action (see EU Adaptation ReportingClimate-ADAPT Country Profiles) and 2019 adaptation reporting under the EU Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Mechanism Regulation. These two reporting mechanisms are together referred to here as “EU official reporting on adaptation”. Note: The relevant information has been copied from the EU official reporting on adaptation (submitted until July 21, 2021), without further elaborating the contents of the text. Some information, valid at the time of reporting, may no longer be valid today. Any necessary additions to the text are clearly highlighted.

In addition, information collated in the EEA’s analysis of Climate change and health: the national policy review in Europe (2021), the Adaptation preparedness scoreboard country fiches (2018) and the WHO study on Public health and climate change adaptation policies in the European Union (2018) are presented. Note: Some information, valid at the time of publication, may no longer be valid today. Any necessary additions to the text are clearly highlighted.

Information sources for non-EU member countries of the EEA are more limited.

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 Latvia are summarised here.

Policy documents reviewed:

Latvia National Adaptation Plan (2019) 

Public Health Guidelines 2014-2020

Aspects covered in the reviewed policy document:

Information from EU official reporting on adaptation. GovReg reporting (2021), MMR reporting (2019)

One of the sectors addressed in the National Adaptation Plan  (NAP, 2019 [editors]) is health and welfare. The Ministry of Health is among the ministries responsible for implementation of the NAP.

The overall climate change adaptation priority of Latvia is to reduce the vulnerability of people, economy, infrastructure, construction and environment to the impacts of climate change. To meet this aim, the NAP has more than 80 concrete adaptation measures and 5 Strategic goals to address climate change risks. Disaster risk management and civil protection is one of the five strategic goals of NAP: 'Human life, health and well-being, regardless of gender, age and social background, are protected from the adverse effects of climate change'. To achieve the goal there are planned measures to address both – human health and well-being, and civil protection, such as improvement of early warning system (especially on weather extremes), access to free drinking water in public places, awareness rising among educational and social care institutions, development of recommendations for social care institutions and social workers on health prevention measures during heat waves etc.

Assessments on primary and secondary impacts of climate change, risks and vulnerability have been carried out, which also included cost-benefit analysis for adaptation measures, indicators and draft for the monitoring system. The analysed sectors also covered health and welfare.

Information from WHO publication. Public health and climate change adaptation policies in the European Union (2018)

In accordance with a decision of the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers, two working groups were set up in 2008, based on a Cabinet-approved report on adaptation to climate change: an intergovernmental expert group, consisting of representatives from ministries, and an expert group, consisting of scientists, specialists from different agencies and representatives of companies and the insurance sector. Public health authorities are also represented in these working groups.

Latvia is in the process of including health aspects related to climate change impacts, risks, policies, measures and indicators for monitoring in a national adaptation climate change strategy to 2030. Climate change risks are also mentioned in the national public health programme for 2014-2020.

Disaster-related risks are defined within the civil protection mechanism – specifically storms, rainfall, intense snowfall, flooding and forest and peat bog fires. A state emergency medicine plan has been developed for health sector preparedness and response, which includes descriptions of responses in the event of disasters related to climate.

Resources in the Observatory catalogue on Latvia