Press room

Vector-borne diseases (CLIM 037) - Assessment published Nov 2012: The transmission cycles of vector-borne diseases are sensitive to climatic factors but also to land use, vector control, human behaviour and public health capacities. Climate change is regarded as the main factor behind the observed northward and upward move of the tick species Ixodes ricinus in parts of Europe. Climate change is projected to lead to further northward and upward shifts in the distribution of I. ricinus. It is also expected to affect the habitat suitability for a wide range of disease vectors, including Aedes albopictus and phlebotomine species of sandflies, in both directions.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Vector-borne diseases
Vector-borne diseases (CLIM 037) - Assessment published Sep 2008: The tiger mosquito, a transmitter of a number of viruses, has extended its range in Europe substantially over the past 15 years and is projected to extend even further. There is a risk of additional outbreaks of Chikungunya and a potential for localised dengue to re-appear. Ticks and the associated Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis are moving into higher altitudes and latitudes. Changes in the geographical distribution of the sandfly vector are occurring in several European countries (high confidence) and there is a risk of human Leishmania cases further north. Projected temperature increases in the United Kingdom could increase the risk of local malaria transmission by 8 to 15 %; in Portugal a significant increase in the number of days suitable for the survival of malaria vectors is projected. However, the risk of localised malaria transmission is low.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Vector-borne diseases
Vulnerable people — the elderly are considered to be a group more sensitive to various climatic stress factors than people of a working age: The map shows the share of elderly people (>= 65 years) within a city (represented by the dot colours) to the total population (represented by dot size).
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Water and food-borne diseases (CLIM 038) - Assessment published Sep 2008: There has been a linear increase in reported cases of some food-borne diseases for each degree increase in weekly or monthly temperature over a certain location-specific threshold (medium confidence). Several thousand cases of salmonella are expected in future years, particularly in countries where food safety standards are poor. Changing frequency and intensity of precipitation events (and temperature) from climate change may result in outbreaks of water-borne diseases (high confidence) and could mobilise pathogens. In the Mediterranean additional salmonella problems from bathing water quality are projected, which would require proper monitoring and surveillance.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Water and food-borne diseases
Water and hydroelectric power: Although hydroelectric power stations create power from a reusable resource, there are some concerns about their impact on water. They alter the flow and temperature regimes that destroy fish spawning areas, handicap fish migration, kill fish in turbines and dry out wetlands. They can also capture sediment and nutrients behind dams, which can reduce the fertility of the waters downstream and may also increase erosion of river banks. For instance dams have reduced the sediment carried into Lake Geneva by some 50 %. Climate change could also make many hydroelectric power plants less reliable in future as water availability changes. While some plants in northern Europe could generate more power, hydroelectric dams in Bulgaria, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine could reduce output by 20-50 % because of declining rainfall. Source: State of the Environment Report No 1/2005 "The European environment - State and outlook 2005" (published 29 Nov 2005)
Located in Environmental topics › Climate change › Multimedia
Water Exploitation Index (WEI): Better information will help us adapt The Water Exploitation Index (WEI) is a good example of the type of information needed to give an overview of the scale and location of the problems facing us
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Water exploitation index (WEI) — in late 1980s/early 1990s (WEI‑90) compared to latest years available (1998 to 2007): WEI: annual total water abstraction as a percentage of available long-term freshwater resources.
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Water limitation of crop primary production in Europe under rain-fed conditions: Present and projected water limitation of crop primary production in Europe under rain-fed conditions
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Water management in Europe faces rising challenges as ecosystems weaken: Water pollution and excessive water use are still harming ecosystems, which are indispensable to Europe’s food, energy, and water supplies. To maintain water ecosystems, farming, planning, energy and transport sectors need to actively engage in managing water within sustainable limits.
Located in Press room › News
Water requirement (CLIM 033) - Assessment published Sep 2008: Between 1975 and 2006 clear trends, both positive and negative, were evident in water requirement across Europe, with marked spatial variability. A significant increase in water demand (50-70 %) occurred mainly in Mediterranean areas; large decreases were recorded mainly in northern and central European regions. Current trends and future scenarios depict an increase in the demand for water in agriculture, potentially increasing competition for water between sectors and uses.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Water requirement