Pan-European Commission calls for urgent action on climate change and health

The Pan-European Commission for Health and Climate, chaired by former Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir and convened by WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, has issued a formal call for action. The commission, comprising 13 former government leaders and experts from 53 countries, asserts that current responses to the climate crisis are insufficient. It highlights that air pollution from fossil fuels causes over 600,000 deaths annually in the WHO European region, with climate-related heat deaths significantly impacting mortality rates in recent years. The commission presented 17 recommendations covering healthcare transformation, local action, and financial system reforms. Key proposals include integrating climate change into national security agendas and urging the WHO to declare climate change a public health emergency of international concern. The recommendations emphasize that climate change directly threatens health, food, water, energy, and national security.