Public health must be at the core of climate action
To live healthy lives, we need a healthy planet to live on. At the European Climate Pact this week, climate actors from across Europe are united by the same goal: that we must act together for the planet. And this action must include health at its core.
The evidence is unavoidable: the climate crisis poses an enormous threat to health. In Europe alone, air pollution causes 357,000 deaths a year, while 62,700 people died from heat-related causes in 2024. Meanwhile, droughts and floods are leading to food shortages, and climate anxiety threatens our mental wellbeing. Allowing climate impacts to persist is damaging to people’s health, pushing them out of work, education, and their community.
But we should not fall into despair, as there is good news to be found and measures can be taken. Across Europe, EuroHealthNet and partners are contributing to address these challenges by linking climate action with health equity and wellbeing.
Our message is clear: investing in ambitious climate action means investing in our health, our planet, and our future.
EuroHealthNet calls for an EU Strategy on Climate and Health
EuroHealthNet calls on European leaders to develop and adopt an EU Strategy on Climate and Health that embeds climate-health priorities across EU policies, including housing, child poverty, and sustainable food, to overcome fragmentation and create a unified approach that promotes wellbeing and resilience for people and the planet.
#BuildForHealth: A new EuroHealthNet video series
The crossover between the built environment, climate, and health is still a widely under-recognised area of both climate and public health policy. Buildings are responsible for 40% of EU energy consumption, and people spend on average 90% of their time indoors, whether at home, work, school, or elsewhere.
To bring more attention to the links between ‘climate, health equity, and the built environment’, EuroHealthNet released four videos, spotlighting best practices throughout Europe. We will continue to make the case for health-centred considerations in housing and built environmental policy and initiatives – so stay tuned!
The videos were produced in cooperation with the European Climate Foundation.
Our collaborations towards a healthy and sustainable Europe
Climate change impacts every aspect of our lives. EuroHealthNet and its membership works with various partners across different areas to bring the public health and social equity perspective to climate and environmental activities.
Throughout its activities, it helps provide practical tools to understand and address the links between climate and health:
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In the face of climate instability, we need to build on existing evidence to create powerful tools for policy action. EuroHealthNet's work is rooted in a scientific foundation as we work to empower researchers and policymakers in improving sustainable health outcomes as part of climate action.
If you are interested in learning more about the data behind action, the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change will launch its 2026 Europe report with a hybrid event on 22 April at 13:00-15:30 CEST.
Register for the event here.
