Heat killed 62,000 people across Europe in 2024, and deaths related to extreme temperatures rose in nearly every part of the continent over the past decade, a new report has found.
Issued on: 22/04/2026 - RFI
The arrival of the Asian tiger mosquito in France over the past decade has led to the spread of associated diseases, such as chikungunya. © Getty Images - Pawich Sattalerd
The window for meaningful action to tackle the intensifying impact of global heating on human health is "narrowing", according to the latest Lancet Countdown Europe report, published on Wednesday.
Compiled by 65 researchers from 46 academic and United Nations institutions, the annual report tracks how climate change affects human health.
It found that 820 of the 823 regions monitored recorded a rise in heat-attributable deaths between 2015 and 2024, compared with the period 1991 to 2000, with an average increase of 52 deaths per million inhabitants per year.
Over the same period, daily extreme heat warnings rose by 318 percent.
“Across Europe, the health impacts of climate change are intensifying faster than our response is keeping up,” said eco-epidemiologist Joacim Rocklöv, co-director of Lancet Countdown Europe.
Nearly all European regions monitored experienced an increase in deaths. The most severely affected were the Balkans, Italy, Spain and Mediterranean France.
Health impacts include heatstroke, sleep disruption, worsening of chronic diseases and adverse birth outcomes, with infants and the elderly the most vulnerable groups.
Climate change is also compounding food insecurity across Europe as a result of rising temperatures and ensuing drought. More than 1 million additional people across Europe experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023 compared to the 1981-2010 baseline, researchers found.
Mosquito-borne diseases
The report also documents how climate change is speeding up the spread of infectious diseases, as higher temperatures encourage mosquito habitats.
The overall risk of dengue outbreaks in Europe has almost quadrupled over the past decade, rising by 297 percent since the 1980-2010 baseline, the authors noted.
Cases of the West Nile, Chikungunya and Zika viruses are also increasing across the region.
France is identified as the European country most affected by new transmission clusters of diseases carried by the tiger mosquito.
Meanwhile, the pollen season has lengthened by one to two weeks since the 1990s, with concentrations of birch and olive pollen rising by 15 to 20 percent in northern France.
“Rising heat, worsening household air pollution, exposure to infectious diseases and growing threats to food security are placing millions of people at risk today – not in a distant future,” said Rocklöv.
“The choices we make now will decide whether these health impacts worsen quickly or whether we begin moving towards a safer, fairer and more resilient Europe."
However, the report warns that political and public responses are failing to match the scale of the crisis. Of 4,477 speeches delivered in the European Parliament in 2024, only 21 addressed the link between climate change and health.
Fossil fuels
The report does highlight some progress – such as the rapid growth of renewable energy and a reduced dependence on fossil fuels, which has helped improve air quality.
“We are also seeing a decline in air pollution primarily coming from the energy sector, and the link between mortality and air pollution related to energy and transport continues to decrease overall, resulting in significant health benefits,” Rocklöv noted.
Nonetheless, the authors say governments remain "locked in a dependence on fossil fuels" that is worsening health risks and economic vulnerability.
In a context marked by the global energy shock caused by the war in Iran, the authors said: “As long as Europe remains reliant on fossil fuels, its economies, public budgets, and health will continue to be vulnerable.”
"The window for action is narrowing," said Cathryn Tonne, co-director of the report and a professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. "But Europe has an opportunity to reinforce its decarbonisation leadership and pursue rapid, coordinated and health-centred climate action."
The window for meaningful action to tackle the intensifying impact of global heating on human health is "narrowing", according to the latest Lancet Countdown Europe report, published on Wednesday.
Compiled by 65 researchers from 46 academic and United Nations institutions, the annual report tracks how climate change affects human health.
It found that 820 of the 823 regions monitored recorded a rise in heat-attributable deaths between 2015 and 2024, compared with the period 1991 to 2000, with an average increase of 52 deaths per million inhabitants per year.
Over the same period, daily extreme heat warnings rose by 318 percent.
“Across Europe, the health impacts of climate change are intensifying faster than our response is keeping up,” said eco-epidemiologist Joacim Rocklöv, co-director of Lancet Countdown Europe.
Nearly all European regions monitored experienced an increase in deaths. The most severely affected were the Balkans, Italy, Spain and Mediterranean France.
Health impacts include heatstroke, sleep disruption, worsening of chronic diseases and adverse birth outcomes, with infants and the elderly the most vulnerable groups.
Climate change is also compounding food insecurity across Europe as a result of rising temperatures and ensuing drought. More than 1 million additional people across Europe experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023 compared to the 1981-2010 baseline, researchers found.
Mosquito-borne diseases
The report also documents how climate change is speeding up the spread of infectious diseases, as higher temperatures encourage mosquito habitats.
The overall risk of dengue outbreaks in Europe has almost quadrupled over the past decade, rising by 297 percent since the 1980-2010 baseline, the authors noted.
Cases of the West Nile, Chikungunya and Zika viruses are also increasing across the region.
France is identified as the European country most affected by new transmission clusters of diseases carried by the tiger mosquito.
Meanwhile, the pollen season has lengthened by one to two weeks since the 1990s, with concentrations of birch and olive pollen rising by 15 to 20 percent in northern France.
“Rising heat, worsening household air pollution, exposure to infectious diseases and growing threats to food security are placing millions of people at risk today – not in a distant future,” said Rocklöv.
“The choices we make now will decide whether these health impacts worsen quickly or whether we begin moving towards a safer, fairer and more resilient Europe."
However, the report warns that political and public responses are failing to match the scale of the crisis. Of 4,477 speeches delivered in the European Parliament in 2024, only 21 addressed the link between climate change and health.
Fossil fuels
The report does highlight some progress – such as the rapid growth of renewable energy and a reduced dependence on fossil fuels, which has helped improve air quality.
“We are also seeing a decline in air pollution primarily coming from the energy sector, and the link between mortality and air pollution related to energy and transport continues to decrease overall, resulting in significant health benefits,” Rocklöv noted.
Nonetheless, the authors say governments remain "locked in a dependence on fossil fuels" that is worsening health risks and economic vulnerability.
In a context marked by the global energy shock caused by the war in Iran, the authors said: “As long as Europe remains reliant on fossil fuels, its economies, public budgets, and health will continue to be vulnerable.”
"The window for action is narrowing," said Cathryn Tonne, co-director of the report and a professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. "But Europe has an opportunity to reinforce its decarbonisation leadership and pursue rapid, coordinated and health-centred climate action."
