next
previous
items
European Union flag
Home
Topics
Analysis and data
Countries
Newsroom
About us

Climate change as a threat to health and well-being in Europe: focus on heat and infectious diseases

Publication Created 06 Oct 2022 Published 09 Nov 2022
Cover Image
This report draws on knowledge developed for the European Climate and Health Observatory. It focuses on the impact high temperatures are having on the population, as well as another emerging threat: the spread of climate-sensitive infectious diseases.
Downloading: PDF document icon 037_Climate change impacts on health_TH-AL-22-010-EN-N.pdf — PDF document, 23.54 MB (24679486 bytes)
Publication Created 06 Oct 2022 Published 09 Nov 2022
EEA Report No 7/2022
This report draws on knowledge developed for the European Climate and Health Observatory. It focuses on the impact high temperatures are having on the population, as well as another emerging threat: the spread of climate-sensitive infectious diseases.

Download

See additional files

Additional Files

Related content

Figures used

Distribution of 𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘴 𝘴.𝘭. complex in Europe (March 2022) The map shows the current known distribution of 𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘴 𝘴.𝘭. (𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘴 𝘴.𝘴., 𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘶𝘴, 𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘢𝘦, 𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪, 𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘦, 𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘴 𝘴.𝘭., 𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘷𝘪, 𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘦, 𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯) in Europe at ‘regional’ administrative level, as of March 2022.
Percentage change in total heatwave exposure of people over 65 years old during the period 2010-2020 compared with 2000-2009 in EEA member and cooperating countries and the United Kingdom This map shows the percentage change in total heatwave exposure of people over 65 years old for the period 2010-2020 compared to 2000-2009 in EEA member and cooperating countries plus the United Kingdom. The indicator has been calculated by multiplying the number of people aged 65 years and older years by number of heatwaves. Heatwaves are defined as periods of 2 or more days on which both the minimum and maximum temperatures are above the local 95th percentile (defined according to 1986-2005 baseline).
Climatic suitability index values for 𝘈𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘴 (90th percentile) in 2008-2009 for 100 European cities The climatic suitability is an index ranging from 0 to 100. The P90 indicator of the climatic suitability is the 90th percentile value of the index range modelled across the city. The modelling is based on 100m resolution hourly temperature data (based on simulations with the urban climate model UrbClim). From this dataset, the climate suitability has been generated based on annual precipitation and the average temperature in January and during the summer months for the years 2008-2009. The selection of cities comes from the source data. For specific values for individual cities, see the Urban Adaptation Map Viewer.
Trends in heat-related mortality incidence over 2000-2020 in Europe (annual deaths per million per decade) The map shows the trend in heat attributable mortality incidence (annual deaths/million/decade) for the general population, 2000-2020.

Related briefings

The importance of restoring nature in Europe Nature, along with its inherent biodiversity, is key to functioning societies and economies. It provides the food we eat, filters the water we drink, cleans the air we breathe, and is important for our mental and physical health. Yet in the EU, many habitats and species are in a poor or bad state, and only a very small fraction of these has shown any improvement over recent years. The restoration of Europe’s habitats and species is important not only for the inherent value of nature itself: it is also key for improved human health and well-being, and reduced climate change impacts.
Cooling buildings sustainably in Europe: exploring the links between climate change mitigation and adaptation, and their social impacts Across Europe, rising temperatures, combined with an ageing population and urbanisation, mean that the population is becoming more vulnerable to heat and that demand for cooling in buildings is rising rapidly. Buildings, as long-lasting structures, can offer protection from heatwaves and high temperatures if appropriately designed, constructed, renovated and maintained. The summer of 2022, with its successive long heatwaves and high energy prices, may have raised the sense of urgency given to the alleviation of heat stress. But there is a gap in knowledge on the extent of overheating in buildings and data and information is scarce regarding the share of EU citizens unable to keep their homes comfortably cool during the summer. This briefing examines key elements of sustainable cooling policy, and its potential impacts on vulnerable groups, by reducing health risks, inequalities and summer energy poverty.

See also

Permalinks

Geographic coverage

Temporal coverage

For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/climate-change-impacts-on-health or scan the QR code.

PDF generated on 19 Apr 2024, 05:01 AM

EEA Page URL QR
Document Actions
The EEA is an agency of the European Union

Engineered by: EEA Web Team

Software updated on 26 September 2023 08:13 from version 23.8.18

Software version: EEA Plone KGS 23.9.14

Code for developers

Systems Status

Legal notice

Creative commons license

CMS login