The Lancet Countdown Europe report reveals that climate change has prolonged the pollen season by one to two weeks compared to the 1990s, increasing the duration of exposure for people with allergic rhinitis, researchers said. More than 10 million people suffer from hay fever in the UK, according to multiple reports. Over one million additional people were affected by moderate or severe food insecurity across Europe in 2023 compared to the 1981-2010 baseline, the report states.
The overall average risk of dengue outbreaks in Europe has almost quadrupled over the last decade, increasing by 297% since 1980-2010, according to the Lancet Countdown Europe report. Reported cases of West Nile, Chikungunya, and Zika virus are also increasing across Europe, the report adds.
Extreme weather events such as heatwaves and cold snaps are linked to spikes in major cardiovascular events, according to a study by Prof. Lukasz Kuzma and colleagues. The study found that heatwaves had an immediate effect: on the same day, major adverse cardiovascular events rose by 7.5% and cardiovascular deaths increased by 9.5%. Coldwaves caused a delayed but longer-lasting impact: the risk of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events climbed from 4% to 5.9% and cardiovascular death risk rose from 4.7% to 6.9% in the days after exposure.
Air pollution exposure further intensified the impact of extreme temperatures on cardiovascular events, the study found. Roughly 13% of cardiovascular deaths (71,440 years of life lost) over a decade were linked to air pollution, and monthly increases in air pollution exposure were tied to rises of up to 10% in cardiovascular events.
Despite these growing threats, political attention to climate-health links remains minimal. Of 4,477 speeches delivered in the European Parliament in 2024, only 21 addressed the link between climate change and health, according to the Lancet Countdown Europe report. Joacim Rocklöv, co-director of the Lancet Countdown Europe and professor at the University of Heidelberg, said in a press conference that the health impacts of climate change are intensifying faster than responses are keeping up, and that rising heat, worsening air pollution, infectious diseases, and food insecurity are placing millions at risk today.