Climate change is still the main threat to human health: land heat-related deaths have in fact risen on average across Europe by 9%, but in southern Europe by 11%. Air pollution and constantly rising temperatures are therefore causing Health problems ranging from more frequent heart attacks and strokes to the spread of infectious diseases and psychological trauma. And European public health systems, especially those in the South, are starting to enter into crisis.
It is an alarming picture drawn by the Europe 2024 Report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change published on The Lancet Pubblic Healthone of the most authoritative scientific journals in the world.
In a planet that is overheating, what is worrying now are the heat-related deaths: an average increase of 17 deaths per 100 thousand inhabitants between 2003-2012 and 2013-2022.
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In the summer of 2022, there were an estimated 60,000 deaths related to extreme heat. Not only, Moderate and severe food insecurity has affected 60 million people in Europe: for 11.9 million insecurity is due to a greater number of days of heat and months of drought. In 2022 the economic losses due to extreme climate-related events were estimated at 18.7 billion euros.
A report that accuses the delay of European governments in implementing political actions to protect citizens from the impacts of climate change. For example, continuing to provide subsidies for fossil fuels, which help fuel emissions. In 2021, second The Lancetthe emissions produced by the use of fossil fuels amounted to 5.4 tonnes of CO2 per capita in Europe. Six times that of Africa and almost three times that of Central and South America per person.
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Climate and inequalities
European scientists have no doubts: to meet the recommendations of the most recent Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which see zero emissions in 2040, European energy systems should reduce their power (and therefore their emissions) about three times.
Climate change is here, in Europe, and it kills. This is the warning of the 69 teams of researchers who wrote the report. Because in every part of the world, populations are experiencing first-hand the various ways in which climate change, with all its consequences, can cause disasters on our planet. And if everyone’s health is at risk, according to experts, in a world that is increasingly warming inequalities are growing. The level with which the climate interferes with health also depends on the levels of socio-economic development, marginalization and models of inequity already existing in each individual country.
Urgent actions are therefore needed, scientists explain, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, not only to breathe cleaner air and eat better food, but also to reduce social inequality and live in more liveable cities.
It’s not a distant scenario
“Climate change is already devastating the lives and health of people across Europe,” he reiterates Rachel Lowe, director of Lancet Countdown in Europe and leader of the Global Health Resilience group at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain. “Our report provides evidence on the alarming increase in climate-related health impacts across Europe, including heat-related mortality, emerging infectious diseases el’food and water insecurity“.
This is the second report conducted by the Lancet Countdown in Europa which monitors the health consequences of climate change. 42 parameters were examined (from sport to diets, from country-by-country emissions cuts to the opportunities offered for climate action) that monitor the impacts of the climate on health and the missed and delayed opportunities for political action.
Researchers from academic institutions across Europe and the United Nations, led by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center in collaboration with the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a center supported by the La Caixa Foundation and 40 other institutions across Europe, participated in the survey. intertwined data on health and climate.
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Pathologies on the increase
All indicators show that there has been a worsening of climate impacts on health. For example, lor heat stress is causing a reduction in physical activity (the data is from 2022) because compared to 1990 it is considered more risky both for moderately strenuous activities (such as cycling or football); strenuous (rugby or mountain biking). Result? The less sport, the risk of disease increases.
And also communicable diseases are increasing because the possibility of spread of “various climate-sensitive pathogens and disease vectors is growing. For example Vibrio, West Nile virus, dengue, chikungunya, Zika, malaria, leishmaniasis and tickswhich spread the Lyme disease and other diseases“. Furthermore, the season in which pollen can cause problems for the growing number of people who already suffer from asthma and allergies is expanding.
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Southern Europe most at risk
Negative climate-related health impacts and responsibility for climate change are unequal in Europe and around the world and reflect socio-economic inequalities and marginalisation.
Heat-related mortality is twice as high in women as men, as well as low-income families are more likely to experience food insecurity. Deaths attributable to one unbalanced diet they are tallest among the donne el’exposure to smoke from fires was higher in highly disadvantaged areas.
L’southern Europe therefore tends to be more affected by heat-related illnessesfires, food, insecurity, drought, disease transmitted by mosquitoes e leishmaniasis. On the contrary, theNorthern Europe is equally more affected by vibrio e tickswhich can spread diseases such as Lyme disease and encephalitis.
Despite this scenario, according to the report by The Lancet There have been few initiatives to reduce the gap between more or less disadvantaged areas and populations. But neither has much research been done to understand how much the climate affects the well-being and health of citizens. Just think, they write in the dossier, that the European Parliament dedicated only 0.1% of its meetings to this topic in 2022, as did the media. In short, the signs of political action to protect citizens are scarce.
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Other countries suffer from the emissions produced by Europe
“Climate change is inherently a social and environmental justice issue,” says Dr Kim van Daalenresearcher of Lancet Countdown in Europe, lead author of the report – looking within European countries we are seeing that it is the most disadvantaged communities that are particularly affected by climate-related health problems. But European countries also relocate the impacts of their consumption on the health of citizens in other parts of the world. Populations that are thus forced to suffer air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions as a result of the goods and services consumed by Europe”. In fact, many European countries continue to outsource environmental pressures, CO emissions elsewhere2 and PM2.5 based on consumption exceeding emissions from production.
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“Carbon neutrality achieved by 2100”
The path towards zero-emission energy systems therefore remains woefully inadequate. Coal use has increased: 13% of Europe’s total energy supply in 2021, up from 12% in 2020. Not only that, 29 of the 53 countries in the European region are still providing net subsidies for fossil fuels.
In the period 2005-2020, deaths attributed to air pollution (PM2.5) caused by the use of fossil fuels decreased by 59% in Europe. A decrease due to air pollution control technologies. “Exposure to air pollution is harming the health of people in Europe and beyond,” he says Cathryn Tonne, epidemiologist and co-director of Lancet Countdown for Health and Climate Change in Europe – While our report shows a decrease in air pollution (PM2.5) over the last 15 years in Europe this decrease is mainly due to improvements in smog control technologies, but not greenhouse gas emissions. We still need adequate policy measures to address air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in parallel.”
The leading role of Europe
Failure to take decisive action can exacerbate the current impacts of climate change. For this reason, according to the authors of the study, Europe should take back the leading role it had and commit to a fair and healthy environmental transition. Take global responsibility and support the most affected communities. “We are already feeling the cost of delayed action, but we also know the results we could reap by phasing out fossil fuels,” he says. Rachel Lowe – Limiting global warming to less than 1.5°C through a just and healthy transition would deliver life-saving benefits for all of Europe and beyond. The implementation of climate policies focused on the health and well-being of citizens is urgent.”
Yet the vast majority of Europeans support climate action. 84% agree that addressing climate change should be a priority to improve public health, and nearly 7 in 10 think their national governments are not doing enough to address climate change. However, this sensitivity does not correspond to coherent political choices.
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– 2024-05-13 13:08:16
