Month: September 2025

Lancet Countdown Indicators

The 2024 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change

Europe is experiencing unprecedented warming and an increase in extreme climatic events, including record-breaking heat, droughts, and floods, as seen in 2022 and 2023. The 2024 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change warns that without swift and drastic action, climate change will continue to accelerate, causing irreversible impacts on human health and well-being worldwide.

While some political progress has been made in Europe through initiatives like the European Climate Law and the EU Adaptation Strategy, the report argues that these efforts, along with international agreements such as those from COP28, are insufficient. Notably, the Euro 7 Emissions Standards and the Industrial Emissions Directive are still inadequate. The report also stresses the importance of considering equity and justice

The Lancet Countdown

The Lancet Countdown is an international research collaboration that tracks the health impacts of climate change and monitors the progress of countries in addressing the climate crisis. It brings together experts from various disciplines to provide an annual assessment of the relationship between health and climate change, aiming to inform policy and drive action.

This is the second report of its kind, and it tracks progress on health and climate change in Europe. It uses 42 indicators across five domains, with researchers from the CLIMOS project contributing to the Leishmania indicators.

The 2024 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change

1.1.1 Vulnerability to heat exposure

1.1.2 Exposure of vulnerable populations to heatwaves

1.1.3 Physical activity related heat stress risk

1.1.4 Heat-related mortality

1.2.1 Wildfire smoke

1.2.2 Drought

1.3.1 Climatic suitability for Vibrio

1.3.2 Climatic suitability for West Nile virus

1.3.3 Climatic suitability for dengue, chikungunya and Zika

1.3.4 Climatic suitability for malaria

1.3.5 Climatic Suitability for leishmaniasis

1.3.6 Climatic suitability for ticks

1.4.1 Allergenic trees

1.5.1 Food security and undernutrition

2.1.1 National vulnerability and adaptation assessments

2.1.2 National adaptation plans for health

2.1.3 City – level climate change risks assessments

2.2.1 Climate information for health

1.2.1 Wildfire smoke 2.2.2 Green space

2.2.3 Air conditioning benefits and harms

3.1.1 Carbon intensity of the energy system

3.1.2 Coal phase-out

3.1.3 Renewable and zero-carbon emission electricity

3.2.1 Premature mortality attributable to ambient fine particles

3.2.2 Production-based and consumption-based attribution of CO2 and PM2.5 emissions

3.3 Sustainable and healthy transport

3.4.1 Life cycle emissions from food demand, production and trade

3.4.2 Sustainable diets

3.5 Health sector emissions and harms

4.1.1 Economic losses due to climate-related extreme events

4.1.2 Change in labour supply

4.1.3 Impact of heat on economic activity

4.1.4 Monetised value of unhealthy diets

4.2.1 Net value of fossil fuel subsidies and carbon prices

4.2.2 Clean energy investment

5.1.1 Coverage of health and climate Change in scientific articles

5.1.2 Coverage of the health impacts of anthropogenic climate change

5.2 Individual engagement with health and climate change on social media

5.3.1 Engagement with health and climate change in the European Parliament

5.3.2 Political engagement with health and climate change on social media

5.4 Corporate sector engagement with health and climate change

5.5 Media engagement with health and climate change

The 2024 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change