WHO Says Europe’s Extreme Heat Kills More Than 200,000 People In Four Years

The World Health Organization (WHO) says Europe has seen more than 200,000 deaths from extreme heat over the past four years, and that nearly all of them could have been prevented.

“The World Health Organization (WHO/Europe) presented its new Heat–Health Action Plans Guidance in Berlin, on the occasion of the nationwide Heat Action Day”

Bundesministerium für Umwelt

WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said during the presentation in Germany of the WHO's new guide on heat-health action plans that "Heat waves are no longer unusual meteorological anomalies. They have become a recurring crisis that causes suffering, takes lives, and weakens our health systems and our infrastructure,".

Bundesministerium für Umwelt

In Berlin, the WHO/Europe Heat–Health Action Plans Guidance was presented on the occasion of the nationwide Heat Action Day by Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, and Dr Ina Czyborra, Senator for Higher Education and Research, Health, and Long-Term Care of the State of Berlin.

The WHO/Europe guidance is described as a scientific framework for government bodies worldwide to organise heat protection measures, with cardiovascular diseases noted as occurring more frequently or worsening under the influence of heat.

WHO says the human body can regulate its temperature around 37°C, but prolonged exposure to extreme heat can overcome that mechanism and lead to serious health problems and medical emergencies.

The WHO/Europe Keep a Cool Head campaign warns that older people have a reduced capacity to sweat and regulate temperature, while infants and young children have a thermoregulatory system that is not yet sufficiently developed.

Climate Home News

WHO also highlights outdoor workers such as firefighters as exposed to heat for long periods, and says extreme temperatures worsen existing chronic conditions including cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and diabetes.

In a separate open letter, the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health said, "This is no longer a distant threat or a seasonal nuisance. It is a public health emergency unfolding in real time," as it warned about pressure on health systems from heat waves.

WHO says heat-health action plans define roles and responsibilities in case of extreme heat episodes, integrate early warning systems, identify vulnerable populations, and establish mechanisms for communication and intervention.

“Heat kills thousands of Europeans every year, deaths that the WHO estimates could be avoided with appropriate policies”

Euronews

Euronews quotes Kluge saying, "In short, heat-health action plans save lives. They enable cities and countries to anticipate, prepare for, and respond in a coordinated manner to episodes of extreme heat," as the WHO published the second edition of its heat-health action plans.

The WHO/Europe guidance also includes measures such as greening cities for more shade, creating networks of cooling centers, mobilizing social services so older people stay hydrated, and training teachers and early childhood professionals to recognize signs of heat-related illnesses.

Climate Home News adds that the launch of updated Heat-Health Action Plans guidance came as the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Thursday that El Niño has developed in the tropical Pacific, with scientists warning it could fuel "unprecedented" weather extremes including severe fires and droughts.