Nouvelles

On 6–7 May 2025, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) convened an expert consultation in Stockholm to explore how flooding and heatwaves are affecting infectious disease risks and what are the needs for public health preparedness for these events in EU/EEA countries.

Led by BSC researchers, a diverse group of experts from thirteen countries in Europe, South America, Asia and Africa came together to develop proactive measures against vector-borne diseases transmitted by mosquitoes and other insects.

A European consortium of experts with vast experience in climate research, public health, and city planning began work in autumn 2024 to deliver transformative AI-driven solutions that help cities build climate resilience and improve public health outcomes.

The GHR Hackathon 2025 gathered researchers in Montserrat, Spain, to advance R packages essential for climate and health research. Over three days, participants worked on tools for climate data processing, visualisation, and modeling, while also engaging in brainstorming and networking activities.

As the impacts of climate change increasingly threaten global public health, the need for effective early warning systems becomes more urgent. Infectious diseases, especially those sensitive to climatic factors, are changing patterns and appearing in new areas. In response to this growing challenge, the EpiOutlook platform is being developed within the IDAlert project as a climate-sensitive forecasting tool for infectious disease outbreak prediction.

Led by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, a team of researchers has analysed data from over 3,000 WNND cases across 20 European countries, finding that climate change has directly increased the probability of local circulation of WNV in Europe.

Have you say in shaping the European Water Resilience Strategy!

Health systems, including hospitals, are on the frontlines of climate change, bearing the costs of increasing disease burdens and more frequent extreme weather events while simultaneously inadvertently contributing to negative environmental and climate-related impacts

This issue of La Santé en action sheds light on the multiple and complex links between nature and the health (both physical and mental) of individuals, using the latest scientific research on the subject.

The EU-funded INTERCAMBIO project is seeking diverse stakeholders to influence occupational health in the face of climate change, sustainable work practices, and green jobs. The community list welcomes participation from a wide range of backgrounds. To join, visit the website and fill out the form on the ‘Contact Us’ page.

Climate change is impacting almost every aspect of a child’s health and well-being. Direct exposure to climate events, as well as indirect exposure through news and social media about subjects like environmental devastation and government inaction, can further increase stress leading to anxiety, depression and a lack of hope for the future.

The Global Health Resilience group in the Earth Sciences Department at the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC) has three new position available:

The WHO European Centre for Environment and Health (ECEH) in Bonn, Germany is seeking examples of interventions to protect and promote mental health in the face of climate change in the WHO European Region.

The DESTINY project, which aims to which aims to develop AI-driven tools to make evidence synthesis of climate and health research faster, cheaper, and more useful, is hiring for three positions.

Faculty, academics, and course coordinators at public health institutions are invited to participate in a brief 5-15 minute survey assessing climate and health education in public health training.

According to the latest Joint Research Centre (JRC) report on Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa 2023, the 2023 wildfire season ranks among the EU's worst in over two decades, fuelled by climate change. Fires devastated vast areas, threatening ecosystems, human health, lives and livelihoods. As fire risks rise, Europe must prevent and prepare for intensifying wildfire seasons.

The EEA briefing 'Impacts of heat on health' gives a first EEA state of play on national surveillance for heat-related health impacts. In terms of preparedness, 21 EEA member countries have heat-health action plans in place, and another four National Public Health Institutes are developing such plans.

November 18th was Health Day at COP29 Azerbaijan. In the last few years, the topic of health has gained momentum as a driving force for climate action. In COP29, health is being framed as the human face of climate change and one of the main arguments for urgently acting on climate.

On November 15th, 2024, the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) released independent policy recommendations to shape One Health governance in the European Union. One Health recognizes that human health, animal health, and the health of the environment are interconnected and form a single system that must be treated as a whole.

The COP29 Special Report on Climate Change and Health outlines priority actions from the global health community for governments, policy-makers, and other sectors to place health at the heart of climate solutions. Developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) with over 100 organizations and 300 experts, this report emphasizes health as the definitive argument for climate action across people, place and planet. Fundamental to these actions is the urgent need to end fossil fuel reliance and ensure people-centred adaptation and resilience.

The prevalence of Vibrio in seafood is expected to increase both globally and in Europe because of climate change, especially in low-salinity or brackish waters, according to EFSA’s latest assessment. Additionally, resistance to last-resort antibiotics is increasingly found in some Vibrio species.

In August 2022 Eurocigua II - An integrated approach to assess the human health risks of ciguatoxins in Europe – was launched. This project builds on the success of the EuroCigua project and the CLEFSA project (which identified ciguatoxins as key emerging risks linked to climate change). Eurocigua II comprises eleven international organisations, five Member States, EFSA, ECDC, EEA, the European Commission, FAO and IOC-UNESCO. The objectives of this project include: environmental data collection and modelling, predicting, and mapping the emergence of ciguatoxins in fish in Canary Island hotspots under climate change. The Eurociqua II project will run until October 2025, with the project's final workshop planned for Fall 2025.

Data from the 2024 Lancet countdown report on health and climate change shows that people all around the world are facing record-breaking threats to their wellbeing, health, and survival from the rapidly changing climate. Of the 15 indicators monitoring climate change-related health hazards, exposures, and impacts, ten reached concerning new records in 2024.

Excessively high or low temperatures presently cause 407,000 fatalities a year. Heat-related deaths, now six times more frequent in southern than in northern Europe, will occur 9.3 times more frequently in the south than in the north by 2100.

This report highlights the escalating health risks climate change poses to children and adolescents in Europe, a population especially vulnerable due to physiological and developmental factors. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and flooding, are already leading to severe health consequences, including increased cases of heat exhaustion, respiratory illnesses, and mental health issues like anxiety and eco-anxiety. Additionally, the spread of vector-borne diseases is widening, placing children at risk for infections previously confined to warmer regions, while air pollution and allergens are exacerbating respiratory and allergy-related conditions. Nutritional risks are also rising, as climate-related disruptions impact food security and affordability, hindering children’s physical and cognitive development. Projections indicate that today’s youth will face four times more extreme events in their lifetime, underscoring the urgent need for child-focused health and support measures. This report provides essential insights for policymakers, healthcare providers, and educators addressing climate impacts on Europe’s young populations.