World Health Organization chief urges leaders to act amid Europe’s deadly heatwave
To protect people, WHO is urging authorities to make cities cooler, ensure access to water and shade, check on those most at risk, and prepare health systems before temperatures peak.
“ The data are clear: temperatures across Europe are rising at roughly twice the global average rate, increasing the likelihood and severity of extreme heat in the future. We cannot afford further delay," Ghebreyesus said on X.
The WHO European Region is the fastest warming of the 6 WHO regions, with temperatures rising at around twice the global average rate. The 3 warmest years on record for the Region have all occurred since 2020, and the 10 warmest years have been since 2007.
Heat stress is the leading cause of climate-related death in the Region. Over the past 20 years, there has been a 30% increase in heat-related mortality, with heat-related deaths estimated to have increased in almost all of the countries of the Region where monitoring is in place. Over the past 30 years, the hours of heat-stress risk for physical activity have spread beyond the hottest parts of the day.
“Temperatures across Europe are rising at roughly twice the global average rate, increasing the likelihood and severity of extreme heat in the future,” Ghebreyesus added.
“Heat is no longer only a weather story,” WHO chief said in an Instagram post.
“It is a health emergency.”