Europe is already feeling the climate crisis. The continent is warming twice as fast as the global average, which means more frequent and intense heatwaves, floods and storms. These events also worsen other environmental risks, such as air pollution. Together, they pose a major threat on human health.
For people living with allergy, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and atopic eczema, the impact is often heavier. Climate-related triggers can disrupt daily life, worsen symptoms and in severe cases become life-threatening.
Climate change also carries a clear economic cost for patients, families and health systems. It drives up healthcare spending, reduces productivity and puts additional pressure on already stretched services.
Europe is not ready for the climate crisis. What do EFA patients need?
In February, EFA contributed to the European Commission’s public consultation on climate resilience. This process will inform a new European framework on climate resilience and risk management.
EFA stresses that Europe is still unprepared to face the climate change threat, both socially and politically. We welcome the focus on protecting people’s health and wellbeing and expect this to be reflected in the future framework.
To deliver real resilience, the EU approach must be supported by policies, mechanisms and interventions that cut across sectors and national systems. EFA highlights three areas that need urgent attention:
A civil protection mechanism that prioritises vulnerable groups
Civil protection measures should better reflect those who are most at risk during and after extreme events. This requires:
- Timely, accurate and standardised public information. While information exists in all Member States, it is often generic and not tailored to people who need it most, including patients with chronic conditions.
- Stronger focus on adaptation, such as national heat health action plans (HHAPs) that fully integrate health-based forecasts and alerts.
- Post-crisis health assessments, including following floods and wildfires, to mitigate the health effects in the aftermath of an extreme event.
Urban planning that mitigates the impact of climate change, especially for vulnerable populations.
Tackling the ‘heat-island effect’ means to expand green areas, climate shelters, green rooftops and cooling spaces. At the same time, greening strategies must avoid allergenic trees, which will increase the symptoms of people with seasonal allergy and allergic asthma.
Placing affected communities including allergy, respiratory diseases and atopic eczema patients, at the centre of climate resilience policies.
People living with allergy, respiratory diseases and atopic eczema should be involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of climate resilience measures. This helps ensure policies are fit for purpose, respond to real needs and can be adapted when they are not working for vulnerable groups.
EFA also welcomes the principle of ‘climate resilience-by-design’ and strongly suggests that health is integrated through dedicated climate-health indicators. We see clear opportunities to strengthen climate resilience across EU policies, including health systems, environmental legislation, construction and housing, urban planning, occupational health and safety and social policy.
Finally, the Commission has announced a web-based tool to provide non-expert information to the public. EFA supports this direction and calls for a tool that is genuinely user-friendly, accessible and visible. We encourage the Commission to provide a standardised template of minimum information, while enabling interoperability and stronger cooperation between governments. This is particularly important for people travelling across borders who need reliable guidance.
EFA and its patient community will continue engaging in this important process to ensure Europe’s climate resilience framework protects those most affected.
Read the full EFA response in this link.