New look for Observatory

27 Mar 2024

The European Climate and Health Observatory has a new look, but our aim does not change: providing easy access to information and resources on climate and health, and foster collaboration to make Europe more resilient to the health impacts of climate change. With the new look and advanced functionalities, we hope to improve the portal's usability and user experience for you and all our stakeholders.

EXHAUSTION project on exposure to heat and air pollution in Europe releases key findings, recommendations and tools

26 Mar 2024

The EXHAUSTION project has sought to quantify shifts in heart and lung disease in Europe due to extreme heat and air pollution and identify adaptation strategies. Based on project findings, EXHAUSTION has now launched policy recommendations, tools and visual material to support awareness, policy and resilience.

European Climate Risk Assessment highlights also imminent threats to human health

11 Mar 2024

Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world, and climate risks are threatening people’s health, as well as several aspects contributing to people's wellbeing, including its energy and food security, ecosystems, infrastructure, water resources, and financial stability. According to the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) assessment, many of these risks have already reached critical levels and could become catastrophic without urgent and decisive action.

EU Health Policy Platform call for proposals 2024

07 Mar 2024

The European Commission invites health stakeholders to submit proposals for a new cycle of Thematic Networks under the EU Health Policy Platform framework. These Thematic Networks are created for stakeholder organisations to collaborate and produce a Joint Statement on a specific issue in different public health areas, including climate change and health. The deadline for submission is 3 April 2024, 23.59h CEST.

ECDC launches video on the climate-induced spread of mosquito-borne diseases and protection measures

01 Mar 2024

The video by the European Centre for Diseases Prevention and Control (ECDC) explains how climate change creates more favourable conditions in Europe for pathogen- and disease-carrying mosquitos, and how we can protect ourselves against falling ill for mosquito-borne diseases.

ENBEL publishes new set of policy briefs

19 Feb 2024

A new set of policy briefs, on climate services, child health and infectious disease surveillance in Africa, has been added to the ENBEL Knowledge Portal. The Portal now includes 9 policy briefs presenting knowledge on climate change-related health impacts and interventions, gathered through ENBEL and its network of climate and health partner research projects.

CLIMOS project launches video and podcast about sand fly-borne diseases

12 Feb 2024

The CLIMOS project, dedicated to mitigate climate- and climate change-induced emergence, transmission and spread of sand fly-borne diseases, launched a new video and podcast episode, which explain the relevance of focusing on the environmental aspects related to sand-fly borne diseases.

New CLIMOS Stakeholder Network welcomes members interested in vector-borne diseases

12 Feb 2024

The CLIMOS project recently launched its Stakeholder Network, and invites European organizations and individual members with an interest to mitigate climate change-induced emergence and spread of sand fly-borne diseases to join forces.

Contribution to WHO's new research agenda for action on climate and health

08 Jan 2024

WHO is developing its new research agenda for action on climate and health (REACH 2035), aiming at setting research priorities to accelerate progress towards climate and health goals. REACH 2035 will be developed through a series of consultative workshops around the world. All researchers, experts and practitioners working at the intersection of climate and health can express their interest to participate in these workshops and contribute to the creation of REACH 2035.

Hospital infrastructure at growing risk of shutdown due to climate change

05 Jan 2024

Without a rapid phase out of fossil fuels and hospital adaptation measures, 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 by 2100, a recent study by XDI finds. In some countries, nearly 30% of all hospitals face serious risks. Since 1990, global warming has already resulted in a 27% increase in risk of damage to hospital infrastructure. Coastal inundation and flooding are the main driving hazards.

COP28 agreement calls for transitioning away from fossil fuels but lacks global plan for adaptation

13 Dec 2023

In Dubai, world leaders agreed on a decision text of the COP28 climate summit. The text calls for "transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems", but no phase-out. While it is the first time that a text in a climate agreement mentions moving away from fossil fuels, the root cause for climatic change and its impact on human health and well-being, the text lacks explicit commitments related to mitigation, adaptation and finance for these actions.

WHO publishes operational framework for climate resilient health systems

12 Dec 2023

With publication of this operational framework for building climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems, the World Health Organization (WHO) provides guidance on how the health sector can systematically and effectively address challenges presented by climate change and transform health systems. The goals is to increase the climate resilience of health systems, to ensure safe care in a changing climate and to protect and improve the health of communities.

Exhaustion formulates recommendations for policies targeting heat and air pollution

06 Dec 2023

As an outcome of its policy conference on heat and air pollution, the Exhaustion project formulated seven policy recommendations based on contributions from researchers, policy makers and civil society. These include stronger wildfire management and prevention, including policies that address health risks of air pollution in heat–health action plans, positioning health as driver for mitigation and adaptation action, seeking co-benefits of heat and air pollution policies, encouraging evaluation studies on adaptation strategies, and consideration of equity and fairness.

Global health workers express urgency for action to limit climate-health impacts

05 Dec 2023

With powerful voices, health workers from around the world bring testimonies about the impact of climate change on their patients' health and on health systems. At the occasion of the COP28, they call, again, for urgent action to mitigate the impact.

ASPHER launches call for 7-point action on Climate Change and Health

03 Dec 2023

The Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) issued a statement on the occasion of the first-ever COP health day. It calls for urgent action on climate change and health in seven points to limit the impact of climate change for human populations, ecosystems and the future of the planet.

More than 120 countries endorse COP28 health and climate declaration

02 Dec 2023

The ‘COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health’, unveiled by the COP28 Presidency and the World Health Organization (WHO), places health at the heart of climate action and urges accelerated development of climate-resilient, sustainable and equitable health systems. To back the statement, several financial commitments on climate and health were announced. Endorsed by 123 countries, the Declaration, and the COP attendance of several Health Ministers alongside their Environmental colleagues, mark a world first in governments acknowledging the growing health impacts of climate change on communities and countries.

ASPHER organizes European Climate and Health Responder Course

29 Nov 2023

The Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) organizes, in collaboration with Columbia University, an online flagship course to engage and educate the public health and wider health workforce in climate and health. The aim of the course, which runs on a weekly basis over 10 consecutive weeks, is to facilitate participation and engagement in policy and advocacy related to climate adaptation and mitigation as well as in research that supports decision making across sectors.

The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change publishes 2023 global report

15 Nov 2023

The Lancet Countdown, an international research collaboration monitoring the evolving impacts of climate change on health, reveals in its 2023 report again alarming trends in the health impacts of climate change. It warns that these risks could worsen steeply in years to come without action. With health matters gaining prominence in climate change negotiations, the report also highlights new opportunities to deliver health-promoting climate change action and a healthy future for all.

Health leaders are calling on decision makers to protect health at COP28

04 Nov 2023

On the occasion of the first ever health day at COP28, global health leaders urge in an open letter the COP presidency and world leaders to prioritize health in climate action at COP, emphasizing the critical link between climate change and health. They call for an accelerated, just, and equitable phase-out of fossil fuels, supported by appropriate financing as alarming impacts of climatic changes and extreme weather events affect many communities, health workers and health systems around the world.

Decision-support tools to build climate resilience against emerging infectious diseases

01 Nov 2023

Climate change is one of several drivers of recurrent outbreaks and geographical range expansion of infectious diseases in Europe. Members of the IDAlert consortium, assembled to address the emergence and transmission of climate-sensitive infectious diseases, have proposed an integrated One Health-Climate Risk framework for the production of policy-relevant indicators and decision-support tools. These aim to track climate-induced disease risks and as such reduce the knowledge-to-action gap.

Increased dialogue between climate and health communities needed to act on climate change health impacts

31 Oct 2023

As health effects of climate change are felt more and more also in Europe, the urgency to act increases. Health needs to be at the core of both adaptation and mitigation action. That was a key take-away from a recent conference organised by the ENBEL project. The conference contributed to strengthening the needed cross-sector collaboration by bringing together climate change and health researchers, practitioners and decision-makers to protect people’s health and advance the European adaptation agenda.

Are we losing the battle against mosquitoes?

26 Oct 2023

According to new research, residents of Attica, Greece will have to get used to Asian tiger mosquitoes almost all year round, in addition to common mosquitoes. While in previous years, tiger mosquito populations disappeared after peaking in summer months, the winter of 2022-2023 saw many tiger mosquitoes. Climate change has made winters warmer and allows mosquitoes to stay around all year, thereby increasing the infection risk for diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and West Nile fever. The presence of the mosquitoes in winter may also occur in other regions of Greece or in other countries.

WHO/Europe launches youth network on health and well-being Youth4Health

09 Oct 2023

WHO/Europe established the Youth4Health Network, a network for meaningful engagement of young people in decision-making, which aims to ensure youth participation and to amplify and embed youth voices and perspectives in WHO/Europe's work. As such WHO/Europe wants to respond to youth concerns, among which climate change and its health implications are among the most mentioned ones.

WHO directors call to add climate- and heat-related diseases to COP28 agenda

12 Sept 2023

Heat-related effects of climate change are more and more manifest – along with their human toll in terms of deaths and diseases. WHO Directors for Non-communicable Diseases and Environment, Climate Change and Health, Bente Mikkelsen and Maria Neira, call to set prevention of climate- and heat-related diseases on the formal COP 28 negotiating agenda – "not just on the sidelines”.

Observatory now includes information and facts on selected water- and food-borne diseases

06 Sept 2023

Facts and figures about eight water- and food-borne diseases (i.e., campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, infections with toxin-producing E. coli bacteria, Legionnaires’ disease, shigellosis, leptospirosis, giardiasis, and cryptosporidiosis) are now available on the Observatory. The disease webpages include among others information on the transmission routes, health effects and the climate sensitivity of the diseases.