Europe must better protect citizens from heat, WHO says

Europe must better protect its citizens from extreme heat as the climate crisis accelerates, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned, saying the continent is warming faster than any other region.

WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said more than 200,000 people across the region have died from heat-related causes in the past four years. He described heat as a silent killer that is preventable if Europe used the tools that it already has.

Kluge presented updated guidance on heat protection measures at a German heat action day in Berlin alongside German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider and Berlin Health Senator Ina Czyborra, focusing on protecting elderly and other vulnerable groups.

Schneider said climate change is already being felt across the globe and framed heat protection as a social issue, noting that people in densely built urban areas and overheated housing often struggle to shield themselves from extreme temperatures.

He said cutting emissions and expanding urban green spaces such as trees, parks, rivers, forests and wetlands could help mitigate heat impacts.

Climate and health experts warn that rising global temperatures are driving more frequent, intense and longer heatwaves, with older people and those with pre-existing conditions particularly at risk. The WHO says extreme heat causes rising cases of illness and premature deaths each year, alongside economic losses running into billions of dollars.