Extreme heat has claimed more than 200,000 lives across Europe over the past four years, according to the World Health Organisation, which warned that heatwaves are becoming an increasingly frequent and deadly public health emergency driven by climate change.

“We need a coordinated, powerful and institutional response,” said WHO regional director Hans Kluge at the launch of the updated Heat–Health Action Plans Guidance in Berlin on Thursday.

The new guidance outlines evidence-based measures governments can take to reduce heat-related illness and deaths, including early warning systems, cooling centres, urban greening initiatives and targeted support for vulnerable populations.

WHO stressed that individual actions such as staying hydrated and avoiding direct heat exposure remain important but are not sufficient to confront what it described as a growing systemic challenge.

Heat-health action plans are designed to help cities and countries anticipate, prepare for and respond to periods of extreme heat in a coordinated and effective way.

Europe is warming faster than any other continent, placing older people, those with pre-existing health conditions and other vulnerable groups at heightened risk.

“Our goal is clear, and our ambition is bold: zero heat-related deaths,” Mr Kluge said.

Extreme heat is an urgent and growing public health threat, driven by climate change and exacerbated by urbanisation and population ageing, according to the WHO. It increases morbidity and mortality, strains health and social care systems, and disproportionately affects populations at increased risk. 

“The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat; it is a stark reality, and its most immediate and lethal manifestation is extreme heat,” Mr Kluge stated in the organisation’s updated HHAPs. “The WHO European Region is the fastest-warming global region. Since the first edition of this guidance in 2008, which drew on the lessons learned through the catastrophic heatwaves of the summer of 2003, we have witnessed a dramatic escalation in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves.”

He added, “These are no longer anomalies but a recurring feature every year, exerting a heavy toll on human health, straining our health systems, and widening the gap of health inequities. 

“Since 2023, because of these concerns, I have declared the climate crisis and extreme weather a public health emergency in the Region. In further recognition of this threat to global health, in 2024, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a Call to Action on Extreme Heat to enhance international cooperation to address this escalating challenge.”