Advocating for Scientific Integrity: Revealing the Truth on Climate Change and Health Matters
In a groundbreaking move, an independent Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health has been established to tackle the pressing issue of climate change and its impact on public health. Chaired by Dr Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization's Regional Director for Europe, the Commission aims to raise the profile of health in climate policy and the profile of climate in health policy.
The Commission's mission is to accelerate decisive climate action that protects and promotes health. Over the next two years, the Commission will consult widely with scientists, public health agencies, civil society organisations, youth, and policymakers to assess the interconnected global and regional risks climate change poses to health, the consequences of inaction, and the opportunities to enhance health through robust mitigation and adaptation.
Climate change is already causing untold suffering and economic damages, including floods, wildfires, droughts, and extreme weather events. In Iceland, for instance, climate change is a present reality, causing the retreat of glaciers and shifts in the marine ecosystem. Extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, wildfires, and floods, are becoming more frequent and intense, posing significant health risks.
The health impacts of extreme weather events caused by climate change are multifaceted, affecting physical and mental health, disproportionately burdening at-risk populations, and straining healthcare and social systems. For instance, extreme heat leads to heat-related illnesses and deaths, particularly among older adults, infants, and outdoor workers. Pregnant women also face increased health risks due to the body's greater effort to cool both mother and fetus, raising chances of heat-related illness and complications.
Low-income minorities, seniors, ethnic minorities, culturally and linguistically diverse communities experience heightened physical and mental health impacts from climate-related extreme weather due to socioeconomic and geographic vulnerabilities, limited resources, and existing health disparities. Extreme heat events increase hospitalizations, emergency visits, and outpatient care, with California experiencing nearly 460 heat-related deaths and over 5,000 hospitalizations during seven major heatwaves from 2013 to 2022.
The World Health Organization and other agencies have declared the climate crisis and extreme weather a public health emergency, emphasising the need for strategies to protect vulnerable populations and mitigate health risks as extreme weather becomes more frequent and severe. The Commission's work will inform high-level decision-makers across the European region, the fastest-warming region in the world.
By spring 2026, the Commission aims to deliver actionable, practical, and measurable recommendations for policymakers across the region. The Commission's work is focused on strengthening health policy, leadership, investment, and action for climate mitigation, resilience, and health protection. The Commission's work is being published with permission from Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters.
The climate crisis is not just an environmental issue; it is a health crisis. It affects all areas of health, including causing more heat-related illnesses, the emergence of vector-borne diseases, worsening respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, undermining food systems, causing malnutrition and food insecurity, threatening access to clean water, affecting mental health, and posing particular risks to pregnancy and maternal health. The Commission's work is crucial in addressing these challenges and protecting the health of millions across Europe.
- The independent Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health, chaired by Dr Hans Kluge, aims to advance carbon neutrality as part of its mission to accelerate decisive climate action that protects and promotes health.
- The Commission recognizes the pivotal role of science and environmental-science in understanding and addressing climate change, as well as the impact it has on health and health-and-wellness.
- Recognizing climate change as a critical threat to public health, the Commission is working to integrate climate change considerations into Medicare policies, regional climate policies, and health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- The Commission is collaborating with scientists, policymakers, civil society organizations, and youth to identify effective therapies-and-treatments for addressing the mental-health impacts of climate change, which have been exacerbated by the uncertainty and anxiety associated with extreme weather events.
- In aligning with the World Health Organization's declaration of the climate crisis as a public health emergency, the Commission's recommendations will focus on reducing carbon emissions, building climate resilience, and protecting vulnerable populations such as low-income minorities, seniors, ethnic minorities, and culturally diverse communities.
- As the fastest-warming region in the world, the European Commission's work on climate change and health will have a considerable impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable practices to preserve the environment and maintain the long-term health and well-being of its citizens.
