Heat deaths, infectious diseases and food insecurity are rising across Europe as political action and public awareness lag behind, according to the 2026 Lancet Countdown report.
The window for meaningful health-centred action is narrowing as the impacts of climate change intensify across Europe, according to the Lancet Countdown Europe report released on Wednesday.
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The 2026 edition of the report warns that the progress made in Europe over recent years must not be taken for granted. Despite escalating health risks, public, political, and media engagement on climate and health is stalling or declining precisely when the need for action is most urgent.
“Across Europe, the health impacts of climate change are intensifying faster than our response is keeping up,” said Joacim Rocklöv, co-director of the Lancet Countdown Europe and professor at the University of Heidelberg.
Increased health risks
The report found a marked increase in both direct and indirect health impacts of climate change across the continent.
On the direct side, nearly all European regions monitored experienced an increase in deaths attributable to heat during 2015-2024 compared to 1991–2000, with daily extreme heat warnings rising by 318% over the same period.
Increased heat exposure is also driving higher rates of heat-related illness, sleep disruption, worsening of chronic diseases, and adverse birth outcomes.
Poor air quality has been linked to an increase in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as other adverse health outcomes.
Indirectly, climate change is driving food insecurity across Europe due to the rise in temperatures and widespread drought. The report found that over one million additional people were affected by moderate or severe food insecurity across Europe in 2023, compared to the 1981-2010 baseline.
Climate change is also accelerating the spread of infectious diseases as warming temperatures expand mosquito habitats, the authors noted.
The overall average risk of dengue outbreaks in Europe has almost quadrupled over the last decade, increasing by 297% since 1980–2010. Reported cases of West Nile, Chikungunya, and Zika virus are also increasing across the region.
“Rising heat, worsening household air pollution, exposure to infectious diseases, and growing threats to food security are placing millions of people at risk today – not in a distant future,” said Rocklöv.
“The choices we make now will decide whether these health impacts worsen quickly or whether we begin moving towards a safer, fairer, and more resilient Europe.”
Yet the report warns of a significant gap between scientific understanding and societal action. Public awareness appears fragmented, with health concerns widely prioritised but rarely linked to climate change as their underlying driver.
Political and public response failing to keep pace
Of 4,477 speeches delivered in the European Parliament in 2024, only 21 addressed the link between climate change and health. The pattern is mirrored in party communications and social media strategies, where the climate-health intersection is nearly absent.
The authors warn that the disconnect between alarming evidence and political momentum threatens to stall progress.
They noted, however, that measures such as clean energy investment demonstrate that health‑positive climate action is both feasible and effective, but the pace must accelerate.
“Redirecting investments from fossil fuels into clean energy, improving air quality, safeguarding vulnerable groups and preparing health systems for rising climate shocks will deliver immediate and long‑term health benefits,” said Cathryn Tonne, co-director of the Lancet Countdown Europe and professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).
“The window for action is narrowing, but Europe has an opportunity to reinforce its decarbonisation leadership and pursue rapid, coordinated and health‑centred climate action to protect lives, reduce inequalities and build a resilient, low‑carbon future.”
