The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday urged European countries to prepare for more extreme heatwaves, warning that much of the region remains insufficiently prepared to manage the health risks associated with rising temperatures.
Europe Not Ready for Increasing Heatwaves
According to a wire service, WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said Europe is not ready to cope with increasingly frequent heatwaves, noting that fewer than half of the countries in the WHO European Region have national heat-health action plans in place. Kluge called on all countries to adopt comprehensive plans that include early warning systems based on weather forecasts, targeted communication with vulnerable groups, and coordination among public health, occupational health, social care, housing and urban planning authorities.
Emergency Meeting and Best Practices
To assess lessons learned from the recent heatwave, Kluge convened an emergency meeting with representatives from 41 European countries, the European Commission and civil society organisations. He highlighted initiatives such as Italy’s heat-related mortality monitoring system, Spain’s public communication strategy and Austria’s updated heat action plan, urging other countries to implement similar measures.
New Heatwave Expected
A new heatwave is developing over the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to push temperatures to as high as 43°C in Portugal and southern Spain this week. France and the Benelux countries—Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg—are also preparing for another surge in temperatures.
