The 2022 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: towards a climate resilient future
Kim Robin van Daalen, Marina Romanello, Joacim Rocklöv, Jan C. Semenza, Cathryn Tonne, Anil Markandya, Niheer Dasandi, Slava Jankin, Hicham Achebak, Joan Ballester, Hannah Béchara, Max Callaghan, Jonathan Chambers, Shouro Dasgupta, Paul Drummond, Zia Farooq, Olga Gasparyan, Nube González-Reviriego, Ian Hamilton, Risto Hänninen, Aleksandra Kaźmierczak, Vladimir Kendrovski, Harry Kennard, Gregor Kiesewetter, Simon J Lloyd, Martín Lotto Batista, Jaime Martínez-Urtaza, Carles Milà, Jan C. Minx, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Yuliia Palamarchuk, Marcos Quijal-Zamorano, Elizabeth Robinson, Daniel Scamman, Oliver Schmoll, Maquins Odhiambo Sewe, Henrik Sjödin, Mikhail Sofiev, Balakrishnan Solaraju-Murali, Marco Springmann, Joaquín Triñanes, Josep M. Antó, Maria Nilsson, Rachel Lowe
Abstract
In the past few decades, major public health advances have happened in Europe, with drastic decreases in premature mortality and a life expectancy increase of almost 9 years since 1980. European countries have some of the best health-care systems in the world. However, \nEurope is challenged with unprecedented and overlapping crises that are detrimental to human health and livelihoods and threaten adaptive capacity, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the fastest-growing migrant crisis since World War 2, population displacement, environmental degradation, and deepening inequalities. Compared with pre-industrial times, the mean average European surface air temperature increase has been almost 1°C higher than the average \nglobal temperature increase, and 2022 was the hottest European summer on record. As the world’s third largest economy and a major contributor to global cumulative greenhouse gas emissions, Europe is a key stakeholder in the world’s response to climate change and has a global responsibility and opportunity to lead the transition to becoming a low-carbon economy and a healthier, more resilient society. \n \nThe Lancet Countdown in Europe is a collaboration of 44 leading researchers, established to monitor the links between health and climate change in Europe and to support a robust, evidence-informed response to \nprotect human health. Mirroring the Global Lancet Countdown, this report monitors the health effects of climate change and the health co-benefits of climate action in Europe. Indicators will be updated on an annual basis and new indicators will be incorporated to provide a broad overview to help guide policies to create a more climate-resilient future.