‘No further delays’: WHO chief urges leaders to act amid Europe’s deadly heatwave

<p>With dozens of people in Europe dying from heat-related causes in recent days, the WHO chief said there cannot be “further delays” for climate action. </p>

<p>“Leaders must prioritise investment in climate-resilient health systems, while also accelerating climate action and mitigating the drivers of the climate crisis,” <a href="https://x.com/DrTedros" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tedros </a>said on <a href="https://x.com/DrTedros/status/2069698793935720897?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">X</a>. </p>

<p>To protect people, WHO is urging authorities to make cities cooler, ensure access to water and shade, check on those most at risk, and prepare health systems before temperatures peak. </p>

<p>The European Region is the fastest-warming region globally. In the past 4 years alone, heat has claimed more than 200,000 lives, while heat-related mortality has risen by 30% over the past 20 years.</p>

<p>“Temperatures across Europe are rising at roughly twice the global average rate, increasing the likelihood and severity of extreme heat in the future,” <a href="https://x.com/DrTedros" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tedros </a>added. </p>

<p>With heat putting stress on human bodies, “heat is no longer only a weather story,” WHO said in an Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZ2kQP4CEd1/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fweb%5Fbutton%5Fshare%5Fsheet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">post</a>. “It is a health emergency.”</p>