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June 2020

Adaptation to climate change-related health effects

Responding to climate change involves a two-pronged approach, including reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases (mitigation) and planning and acting to address those consequences of climate change that cannot be avoided (adaptation).

For health impacts, adaptation is defined as ‘designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating strategies, policies and programmes to manage the risks of climate-relevant health outcomes’ (WHO 2014).

This scientific opinion, published in June 2020, examines which adaptation measures could strengthen the European health sector with respect to impacts from climate change. It focuses on vulnerable groups, regions and the urban environment, and the impact of vector-borne diseases, heat and heat waves.

Scientific advice

Delivery date

29 June 2020

Supports EU mission

Adaptation to climate change

Supports UN sustainable development goals

Good health and wellbeing
Reduced inequalities

Resources

The Group of Chief Scientific Advisors responds to the request for advice from the European Commission.

Their policy recommendations are based on the best available scientific evidence.

Climate change and health SO cover
Bibliographic information
DOI
10.2777/869383
ISBN
9789276164142
Licence
Copyright
Cite as
European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, (2020). Adaptation to health effects of climate change in Europe, Publications Office.
The Scientific Opinion is written jointly by the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors. Former Advisors (‘alumni’) may also contribute.
Portrait of Janusz Bujnicki

Janusz Bujnicki

Advisor
Portrait of Pearl Dykstra

Pearl Dykstra

Advisor
Portrait of Elvira Fortunato

Elvira Fortunato

Advisor
Portrait of Nicole Grobert

Nicole Grobert

Advisor
Portrait of Rolf-Dieter Heuer

Rolf-Dieter Heuer

Advisor
Portrait of Carina Keskitalo

Carina Keskitalo

Advisor
Portrait of Éva Kondorosi

Éva Kondorosi

Advisor
Portrait of Paul Nurse

Paul Nurse

Advisor

News

30 June 2020
Advice on climate change and health
Today, the European Commission’s independent Group of Chief Scientific Advisors published their opinion Adaptation to climate change-related health effects which contains advice and recommendations on how the EU can help to make our societies, and in particular the health sector, better prepared and more resilient with respect to impacts from climate change on health.

Events

26 January 2021
Climate change and health
Online event
This webinar examined climate action for health, before looking at how we can use scientific evidence to integrate climate change and health into policy development.

Impact

One of the first impacts to be tracked is in the European Parliament resolution of 17 December 2020, on the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change. The Green Deal had promised a new, more ambitious strategy on adaptation to climate change, to be delivered in 2021, and this resolution set out the European Parliament’s request, with a preamble explicitly referencing our advice. Multiple aspects of the resolution are in line with our recommendations, including the integration of human health in climate adaptation, the importance of addressing climate impacts on vulnerable populations and areas, the need to strengthen the resilience of the health sector, and the need to fully engage the health community in the design of the instruments for adaptation.

One of our key recommendations is expressed in the new Commission Strategy on adaptation. The strategy notes "the need for a deeper understanding of the climate-related risks for health,’ and that climate change will increasingly challenge the ability of public health systems to function effectively". To counter such threats, we recommended that the Commission considers the creation of a disaster risk and climate change and health knowledge centre or coordinating mechanism. That recommendation has an obvious echo in the decision set out in the strategy to "establish a European climate and health observatory under Climate-ADAPT". Together with the EEA, the Commission launched this initiative alongside the strategy in the spring of 2021. The SAM report, amongst other reports from the field, also informed the Observatory’s longer-term strategic objectives by 2030, published in October 2022.

Our advice was cited in scientific journals such as the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Springer Climate, Environmental Research, and Climate Policy.

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Hoeben A.D.; Otto I.M.; Chersich M.F. (2023). Integrating public health in European climate change adaptation policy and planning. Climate Policy.
Gallo P.; Sore A.; Donato A.; Romano R. (2023). Urban Regeneration Through Climate Adaptive Design for the Mediterranean Area. Advances in Science, Technology and Innovation.
Ortiz A.F. (2023). Planetary health; [Salud planetaria]. FMC Formacion Medica Continuada en Atencion Primaria.
Gressler, S., Part, F., Scherhaufer, S., Obersteiner, G.,... (2022). Advanced materials for emerging photovoltaic systems – Environmental hotspots in the production and end-of-life phase of organic, dye-sensitized, perovskite, and quantum dots solar cells. .
Navas-Martín M., López-Bueno J.A., Díaz J., Follos F., Ve... (2022). Effects of local factors on adaptation to heat in Spain (1983–2018). Environmental Research.
Murray V., Chadborn T. (2022). Climate Change Adaptation and Societal Transformation: What Are the Public Health Challenges?. Springer Climate.
Policy impact
2021
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT (...) Forging a climate-resilient Europe - The new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change
Policy impact
2020
European Parliament resolution on the EU strategy on adaptation to climate change
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