According to a report released by the European Environment Agency (EEA), climate change is exacerbating floods and droughts, leading to declining water quality and escalating health risks.
The report underscores the urgent need for accelerated action and enhanced collaboration among governments, water authorities, and healthcare providers to mitigate these health impacts.
The EEA report ‘Responding to climate change impacts on human health in Europe: focus on floods, droughts and water quality’ draws attention to the water-related impacts of climate change on health and well-being that are already felt across Europe and include deaths, injuries, outbreaks of infectious diseases and mental health consequences.
Between 1980 and 2022, 5,582 flood-related deaths and 702 wildfire-related deaths were recorded across 32 European countries. Already today, one in eight Europeans lives in areas potentially prone to river floods and around 30% of people in southern Europe face permanent water stress.
Climate change will further increase the exposure of people to weather extremes with serious health consequences.
Senior citizens, children, those in poor health, lower income groups, farmers, and emergency service teams are among the groups experiencing the greatest health impacts from floods, droughts, wildfires or water- and vector-borne diseases.
With these facts, the report underscores the critical need to urgently implement legislation, notably various climate, water, and health policies, and integrate them further, and roll out the already existing solutions across all sectors and government levels to protect lives, prevent adverse health outcomes, and increase wellbeing.
“Protecting human lives and health from the impacts of climate change, including droughts, floods, and worsened water quality is of utmost urgency,” said New Jersey environmentalist Lisa McCormick.
To enhance our preparedness for future climate-related challenges to health from floods, water scarcity, and deteriorated water quality, responses are needed in both the health sector and other sectors that have an impact on health, including water management, spatial planning, building design, or insurance.
The EEA report seeks to inspire action by implementing practical solutions in all countries.
A precondition for upscaled action is the greater integration of climate change into health policies and increased resources and competencies for climate change adaptation with a focus on health at subnational levels.
Quick wins include raising public awareness about the risks and solutions, while longer-term actions, including infrastructure improvements and nature-based solutions, require systematic planning and investment.
The differences in vulnerability of various population groups and the geographical variation of impacts require an equity-based, targeted approach to preventing health impacts for all under the changing climate.