Summertime sadness: Heatwaves expose the EU’s resilience gap?

Europe’s June heatwaves already resulted in more than 1,300 excess deaths while exerting continuous pressure on its infrastructure. Calling this a tragedy is an understatement. Yet heat rarely receives the same political attention as floods or storms, even though extreme weather over the last 4 years alone has taken more than 200,000 lives. Even more disturbing is the fact the EU and member states are still treating climate change and health as two separate issues, struggling to devise implementable strategies and mobilise resources to address both the cause and consequences of climate change. 

It is crucial to recognise that European heatwaves have worsened due to man-made fossil fuel emissions in the past decades. As a result of climate change, Europe is the fastest warming continent, with an annual loss of €45 billion due to climate and weather extremes. It is therefore impossible to address the heatwave crisis without underlining the importance of climate mitigation and adaptation measures from a One Health perspective, recognising the interconnection between the health of people, animals, and ecosystems.  

While the EU is strong on its vision to reach climate neutrality by 2050, short-termism and political uncertainties hamper the EU’s efforts to address the regulatory barriers and unlock investments in net zero technologies. The situation is even more dire for the EU’s climate adaptation framework, which, by and large, remains unrecognised, underdeveloped and underfunded.  

Looking ahead, the EU must double down on its decarbonisation efforts to reduce the catastrophic effects of European heatwaves, which are placing an increasing and visible burden on health systems– highlighting the cost of climate inaction. Extreme heat is no longer the exception but a recurring public health emergency that requires the same level of preparedness as other health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The European Commission should double down on its EU climate resilience and risk management initiative, planned for adoption toward the end of 2026. A lack of ambition will result in further loss of life and damage to infrastructure, which ultimately undermines European security, wellbeing, competitiveness and societal resilience.  

Elizabeth Kuiper is Associate Director and Head of the Health and Societal Resilience Programme at the European Policy Centre.

Stefan Šipka is a Senior Policy Analyst and Head of the Sustainable Prosperity for Europe Programme.

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