Europe needs to do a better job of protecting its citizens from extreme heat, as it is warming faster than any other continent. More than 200,000 people have died in the region from heat-related causes in the last four years, Germany’s Heat Action Day recently reported STAemphasized the regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Europe Hans Kluge. According to him, we are paying for global warming with human lives, as heat is a “silent killer” that can be prevented if Europe uses the tools at its disposal.
Climate and health experts have warned that rising global temperatures are causing more frequent, more intense and longer heat waves, with older people and those with existing health conditions particularly at risk. According to the WHO, extreme heat causes more cases of illness and premature death every year, and economic damage amounts to billions of dollars.
Kluge is with the German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider and the Berlin senator for health Ino Czyborra presented updated guidelines on measures to protect against heat, focusing on the protection of the elderly and other vulnerable groups. Schneider described heat protection as a social issue, noting that people in densely built urban areas and in overheated apartments often find it difficult to protect themselves from extreme temperatures.
According to him, reducing emissions and expanding urban green spaces such as trees, parks, rivers, forests and wetlands could help mitigate the effects of the heat, she reported STA.
