"Millions of people are already exposed to serious health risks as a result of climate change. Our choices today will determine whether the situation worsens or whether we build a safer and more resilient Europe," says Maria Nilsson, professor of public health sciences at Umeå University and chair of Lancet Countdown Europe, in a press release.
Above all, the report points to increased mortality linked to heat.
Europe is also facing worsening working conditions, increased food insecurity and a greater spread of climate-sensitive infectious diseases such as dengue fever. In addition, the pollen season has become one to two weeks longer than in the 1990s, prolonging exposure for allergy sufferers.
The researchers behind the report write that extreme heat warnings have increased by 318 percent compared to the 1990s. Across almost the entire continent, the number of deaths linked to heat is increasing.
"The single most important measure is to quickly phase out fossil fuels and reduce emissions - while adapting societies to heat. This provides the greatest overall health benefit, both in the short and long term," says Maria Nilsson.
