Protecting Health Through Climate Action in Europe

Climate change is rapidly warming our planet, and Europe is heating up twice as fast as the rest of the world. You may have heard about polar bears being affected by melting ice caps, but did you know climate change affects humans too? Extreme weather events, like storms, droughts, floods, heatwaves, and wildfires, are becoming more common — leading to a rise in health issues including injuries, heart and lung disease, depression, diseases spread by mosquitoes, and food and water shortages. To protect people’s health from climate change, we need to develop solutions to protect those who are most affected, like older people, children, people with disabilities, and people who have fewer opportunities and less support than others. Climate change may seem like a problem too big to fix, but together we can protect ourselves and each other and provide a lot of health benefits. Climate action is a win-win for people and the planet!