Rising Health Risks as Heatwave Intensifies Across Europe: WMO

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has issued an urgent warning as extreme heat continues to grip Europe, stressing that heatwaves are among the deadliest natural hazards.

In a press briefing, John Nairn, WMO’s Senior Heat Advisor, cautioned that extreme temperatures are increasing in frequency, duration, and intensity, posing growing threats to human health.

“Persistently high night-time temperatures are particularly dangerous because the body cannot recover from continuous heat exposure,” Nairn said. “This leads to more heart attacks and fatalities.”

Deadly Impact

A recent UN report revealed that around 60,000 additional deaths were recorded in Europe last summer due to extreme heat — despite the continent’s advanced early warning systems and public health measures.

The WMO urged governments to adapt infrastructure to withstand sustained high temperatures and to raise awareness among vulnerable groups, warning that similar health risks are escalating in Asia, North Africa, and the United States.

“Heat is a rapidly growing health risk,” Nairn explained, citing factors such as rapid urbanization, rising temperatures, and an ageing population.

According to the agency, this year’s widespread and intense heatwaves are alarming but expected, aligning with scientific forecasts linked to global warming.

Climate Change and El Niño Effects

“These are not normal weather systems of the past,” Nairn emphasized. “They are a direct consequence of climate change. The loss of Arctic ice is reinforcing these mechanisms, and this will continue for some time.”

He added that the recently declared El Niño phenomenon is likely to amplify the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events, with “serious implications for human health and livelihoods.”

Explaining the current heatwave’s persistence, Nairn pointed to stationary weather systems that trap heat over specific areas. “You have to reverse it through climate repair,” he said. “Global warming is the root cause, and it will persist for some time.”

An “Invisible Emergency”

Panu Saaristo, Emergency Health Unit Team Leader at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), described the ongoing crisis as an “invisible emergency.”

He emphasized the need to protect those most at risk — not only people with health vulnerabilities but also those in low-income communities and inadequate housing.

“Heatwaves hit poorer neighbourhoods hardest,” Saaristo noted, adding that the impacts also extend to reduced economic productivity, overwhelmed health systems, and power outages.

Preparing for the Unavoidable

The WMO stressed that more intense and frequent heatwaves are now unavoidable worldwide. It called for urgent measures to adapt homes, workplaces, and cities, many of which were never designed to endure prolonged extreme heat.