Report of the
Lancet Countdown
The latest report from the Lancet Countdown Europe tracks progress on health and climate change in the region.
Compiled with the contribution of 69 experts spanning 42 academic and UN institutions, the new report explores 42 indicators which monitor the health impacts of climate change, as well as the inadequate, delayed or missed opportunities of climate action in Europe.
Key Messages
CLIMATE CHANGE IS ALREADY IMPACTING HEALTH IN EUROPE
Temperatures in Europe are warming at twice the rate of the global average. This is bringing increases in heat-related deaths, enabling the spread of infectious diseases, increasing drought conditions with impacts on food security, and undermining the social and economic building blocks for good health.
DEEPENING HEALTH INEQUITIES IN A WARMING WORLD
The health impacts of climate change are unevenly distributed, often reflecting intersecting patterns of socio-economic development, marginalisation and historical – and ongoing – inequity. Across the region, Southern Europe tends to be more affected by heat-related illnesses, wildfires, food insecurity, drought, and leishmaniasis. Within countries, ethnic minoritised and Indigenous people, low-income communities, migrants and displaced people, sexual and gender minoritised, and women going through pregnancy and childbirth, tend to be more severely affected.
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY TO ACCELERATE ACTION FOR A HEALTHY TRANSITION
In 2021, emissions from fossil fuel combustion in Europe was six times African per person emissions and almost three times Central and South American emissions. Limiting warming to avert further health impacts requires Europe to commit to a fair and healthy environmental transition.
Explore key findings of this year’s Europe report
The 2024 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: unprecedented warming demands unprecedented action
HEALTH HAZARDS, EXPOSURES, AND IMPACTS
A changing climate has profound implications for human health, with more frequent heat waves and extreme weather events, changing patterns of infectious disease transmission, deterioration of food and water resources, impacts on socioeconomic conditions, and the exacerbation of existing health challenges around the world. Indicators in this section track the multiple ways in which climate change threatens human health and wellbeing.
1.1.3 Physical activity and heat stress risk
Heat stress risk when undergoing physical activity has been expanding beyond the hottest four hours of the day for both medium and strenuous activities.
1.3 Climate-sensitive infectious diseases
Climate suitability for various climate-sensitive pathogens and disease vectors has increased in Europe, including Vibrio, West Nile virus, dengue, chikungunya, Zika, malaria, leishmaniasis, ticks in the past decade.
1.5.1 Food security
An increase in heatwave days and drought months has resulted in nearly 12 million additional people in Europe experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity in 2021.
ADAPTATION, PLANNING, AND RESILIENCE FOR HEALTH
With climate change increasingly threatening the health and wellbeing of populations in every country, actions to build resilience and adapt to climate change are urgently needed. This section tracks how communities, health systems, and governments are understanding the health risks of climate change, the strategies and resources they are deploying, and how adaptation and resilience measures are being implemented.
2.1.3 City-level climate change risk assessment
In 2022 149 (81%) of 185 responding European cities reported to have conducted a climate risk assessment.
2.2.1 Climate-informed surveillance and early warning systems
Whilst most European reporting countries (22) have health surveillance systems in place, few incorporate climate information. However, a moderate number of health early warning systems are climate-informed.
2.2.3 Air conditioning benefits and harms
In 2021, air conditioning provided cooling to 16% of European households, resulting in approximately the same total CO2 emissions as the whole of Bulgaria in 2022.
MITIGATION ACTIONS AND HEALTH CO-BENEFITS
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential to limit the health threats of climate change. Simultaneously, many of the interventions required to mitigate and adapt bring enormous co-benefits for human health and wellbeing in the form of cleaner air, healthier diets, and more liveable cities. Tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century. Indicators in this section track the world’s efforts to mitigate climate change, and the effective and the health co-benefits of this response.
3.1.1 Carbon intensity of the energy system
Emissions from fossil fuel combustion were 5.4 GtCO2 per person in Europe in 2021 – six times African per person emissions and almost three times Central and South American emissions.
3.2.2 Production- and consumption-based emissions
In 2021, consumption-based emissions exceeded production-based emissions by one percentage point for CO2 and 1.6 percentage points for PM2.5.
3.5 Healthcare sector emissions and harms
Despite several European countries taking action to reduce their healthcare emissions, greenhouse gas emissions of the healthcare sector of increased by 3% in 2020 compared to 2010.
ECONOMICS AND FINANCE
The health impacts of climate change have profound economic implications. This section tracks the economic costs of the health impacts of climate change and its drivers, as well as the extent to which the world’s economy and financial systems are enabling the transition to a health-promoting, zero-carbon economy.
4.1.3 Impact of heat on economic activity
In 2020, GDP per capita growth in Southern Europe was 0.98% lower due to positive temperature anomalies compared with 1981-2010 average temperatures.
4.2.1 Net value of fossil fuel subsidies and carbon prices
29 out of 53 European countries are still providing net subsidies for fossil fuels in 2020, with total net fossil fuel subsidies in Europe amounting to €61.6 billion.
4.2.2 Clean energy investment
Clean energy investment exceeded fossil fuel investment in Europe by 261% in 2022 (€404 million compared to €112 million).
PUBLIC AND POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT
Public and political engagement underpins the foundations of the world’s collective response to climate change, with reductions in global emissions at the speed required by the Paris Agreement depending on engagement from all sectors of society. This working group tracks key actors’ engagement with the links between health and climate change, including in the media, national governments, the corporate sector, and the broader public.The indicators in this section track the links between health and climate change in the media, national governments, the corporate sector, and the broader public.
5.1 Scientific engagement with health and climate change
The scientific literature on health and climate in Europe has rapidly expanded, with the 340 publications identified in 2022 representing a 32% increase in publications since 2019. Only four referenced to equality, equity or justice.
5.3 Political engagement with health and climate change
While there were over 800 references to climate change in legislators’ speeches in 2022 and over 1,400 references to health, there are only 10 (0.1%) references to the intersection of health and climate change in the European Parliament in 2022. Only two of the speeches included inequality related terminology.
5.5 Media engagement with health and climate change
Of 547,786 posts by media outlets across Europe on climate change, only 8.2% also referenced health in 2022.
Professor Rachel Lowe
Director, Lancet Countdown Europe
“Our report provides evidence on the alarming increase in climate-related health impacts across Europe, including heat-related mortality, emerging infectious diseases and food and water insecurity. The time has come for unprecedented action to limit these negative impacts on health in Europe and across the globe.”
Dr Kim van Daalen,
Research Fellow and lead author, Lancet Countdown Europe
“Looking within European countries we are seeing the most disadvantaged communities being particularly affected by the climate-related health impacts. At the same time, European countries also offshore the health impacts of our consumption elsewhere, with other parts of the world experiencing local air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions as a result of the goods and services consumed by Europe.”
Professor Cathryn Tonne,
Co-Director, Lancet Countdown Europe
“Whilst our report shows a decrease in air pollution (PM2.5) over the past 15 years in Europe, this decrease was predominantly due to improved air pollution control technologies that decreased air pollution, but not greenhouse gas emissions. We still need appropriate policy measures that tackle air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in parallel.”
Watch the Europe
report launch event
Featuring expert and passionate speakers on health and climate change
Key findings graphics available to download
Download and share the key findings on social media!
Listen to the Lancet Public Health podcast
Prof Rachel Lowe discusses the 2024 Europe report
Translated Executive Summaries available to download
Navigate to ‘supplementary materials’ to find French, German, and Spanish translations