Climate change and the associated pollution of air, water and soil, increasingly frequent heatwaves, rising noise levels and climate-related diseases are among the most serious threats to public health in Europe.
According to estimates by the World Health Organization, environmental factors are responsible for 20–25% of all illnesses on the continent. Representatives of Poland’s healthcare sector emphasise that improving the condition of the environment and protecting biodiversity are essential, but so is raising public awareness.
“Climate change affects human health worldwide, and we can also feel its consequences in Poland. These include various anomalies, ranging from extreme heat and sudden flooding to changes in plant flowering patterns,” Joanna Węgrzynowska, Management Board Representative for ESG at LUX MED, told the Newseria news agency.
The WHO stresses that climate change affects human life in many different ways. It threatens the basic conditions required for good health, including clean air, safe drinking water, a reliable food supply and secure housing.
Rising temperatures also encourage the spread of climate-sensitive diseases. The WHO estimates that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths each year due to factors including malnutrition, malaria and heat stress.
Direct healthcare costs resulting from climate-related damage are expected to reach between $2 billion and $4 billion annually by 2030.
More than 200,000 heat-related deaths in Europe
The WHO has reported that more than 200,000 people across Europe died as a result of extreme heat during the past four years.
In 2024 alone, the number of heat-related deaths in Europe was estimated at nearly 63,000, according to the third edition of a report published by The Lancet as part of the Lancet Countdown project.
“Heatwaves have a particularly severe impact on children, older people and those with cardiovascular conditions. Poorer air quality, meanwhile, contributes to upper respiratory diseases and cancer,” Węgrzynowska explained.
According to the European Environment Agency, long-term exposure in 2023 to particulate matter, ozone and nitrogen dioxide at concentrations exceeding WHO recommendations contributed to approximately 206,000, 71,000 and 56,000 premature deaths in Europe respectively.
The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution contributes to around 7 million deaths globally each year, including approximately 46,000 in Poland.
“Changes in plant flowering patterns may mean, for example, that flowering seasons become longer, causing additional suffering for people with allergies,” the LUX MED expert said.
“There is also discussion of a phenomenon known as climate anxiety or climate depression. People who observe these changes over time and see that the situation is unfortunately getting worse year by year may feel anxious about what the future will look like.”
WHO calls climate change a health security threat
In May, the WHO’s Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health called for climate change to be formally recognised as a growing threat to health security.
Its representatives argued that legislation had failed to keep pace with the scale of the crisis and that the absence of formal mechanisms meant governments were not treating the threat seriously enough.
The commission also called for healthcare systems to be transformed so that they become more resilient to climate change while reducing their own contribution to the problem.
The effect of climate change on public health creates a wide range of challenges for healthcare systems. It is also one of the reasons why companies operating in the sector are becoming increasingly involved in environmental initiatives.
“The healthcare sector can play a major role in raising awareness, particularly health awareness, and in educating people about the connection between human health and the environment in which they live,” Węgrzynowska said.
“This was one of the reasons behind the establishment of the Healthy Cities Congress, which is intended to demonstrate how different aspects of people’s immediate surroundings affect their health.
“It is difficult to imagine people living long, healthy and happy lives in cities without parks or greenery and where air quality is poor.”
Most European city residents are exposed to unsafe pollution levels
An EEA report indicates that, depending on the type of pollutant, between 56% and 95% of people living in European cities are exposed to concentrations exceeding safe levels under the World Health Organization’s 2021 air quality guidelines.
“We carry out a range of initiatives supporting biodiversity in cities and beyond. Our flagship project is the Healthy Cities initiative,” Węgrzynowska said.
“It includes measures intended to encourage physical activity, such as the Healthy Cities Challenge, in which we encourage people to take at least 6,000 steps per day. The second pillar consists of environmental activities.”
As part of the Healthy Cities Challenge, participants were able throughout June to convert the distance they walked into funding for urban greening projects in their cities.
Part of the programme’s budget is also allocated to peatland restoration projects. Participants completed a total of 5.5 billion steps, equivalent to approximately 4.4 million kilometres.
Healthy Cities Index provides practical data for local authorities
“Another study that can provide valuable guidance—and in practice serves as a useful tool for local authorities and city residents in the context of health and climate—is the Healthy Cities Index,” the LUX MED representative said.
“This year, we will prepare it for the fifth time in cooperation with the SGH Warsaw School of Economics.
“SGH experts analyse nearly 70 different indicators of a healthy city, including air quality, cycle paths, sewage volumes and pollution. These are highly diverse factors that are monitored every year.”
Statistics presented in the most recent report indicate that cities are making progress in several environmental areas.
For example, in 2024 the average annual concentration of PM10 particles, which contribute to smog, declined once again. For the first time since the study began, the level across the cities analysed fell below 20 micrograms per cubic metre.
Pollution in wastewater generated by industrial facilities located in urban areas also decreased, while the proportion of waste collected separately for recycling increased.
Differences between cities narrowed for most environmental indicators, suggesting that local authorities are consistently working to improve the quality of the natural environment.
Cities expand green transport but struggle to increase green space
Cities are also investing in greener transport. In most of them, the total length of cycle paths is increasing.
At the same time, the report’s authors note that pressure from housing development has meant the amount of urban green space has remained broadly unchanged compared with previous editions of the study.
This demonstrates that although cities are making progress in air quality, waste management and sustainable transport, maintaining and expanding green areas remains a significant challenge as urban development continues.
