Lancet warns of growing health damage from heat
A new European climate report describes more heat-related deaths, unsafe working conditions and risks to vulnerable groups.
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The climate crisis is posing an increasing health risk in Europe, particularly through extreme heat. That is the conclusion of the new European report by the Lancet Countdown, which warns of rising heat-related mortality and additional risks for older people, young children and those who work outdoors.
The report was compiled by 65 experts from 46 academic and international institutions. They track 43 indicators related to climate and health. The authors describe not only the direct health effects of heat, but also consequences for work, food security and infectious diseases.
Heat places strain on the body and can worsen existing cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other conditions. The World Health Organization also identifies heat as a major cause of weather-related mortality. Older people, those with chronic conditions, young children and people who work outdoors are particularly at risk.
According to the WHO, heat-related mortality among people over 65 worldwide increased by approximately 85 per cent when the period 2017–2021 is compared with 2000–2004. This comparison is based on international studies and does not indicate how many people in the Netherlands die from heat in any specific year.
The European report also points to a loss of safe working time. At higher temperatures, people cannot work outdoors safely and productively for as long. This affects construction, agriculture and logistics, among other sectors. The report also describes risks to food supplies and the spread of some infectious diseases.
The researchers link these developments to a warmer climate, but emphasise that harm to health is not determined by temperature alone. Age, health, living conditions, access to cooling and the way cities are designed also play a role.
The precise scale of the damage varies by country and measurement method. Estimates of heat-related mortality are generally based on excess deaths during warm periods and models combining temperature and health data. This makes the figures suitable for tracking trends, but not for assigning a single cause to each individual death.
The report says adaptation is necessary, for example through better heat warnings, protection for outdoor workers, access to cool places and urban planning that retains less heat. Such measures reduce exposure, but do not remove the underlying warming.
For the Netherlands, the combination of an ageing population, urban heat and a growing group of outdoor workers is particularly relevant. The report contains no new Dutch mortality figures for this morning. Its message is broader: according to the researchers, climate policy and public health are becoming increasingly difficult to view separately.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The Lancet Countdown report describes growing health risks from climate change in Europe.
- The WHO identifies heat as a major environment-related and work-related health threat.
- Vulnerability varies according to age, health, occupation and living environment.
Left
Arguments From this perspective, the harm to health shows that climate policy is primarily a matter of protection and social justice. The most severe consequences often fall on people who are least able to move to cool homes or adapt their work.
Values Equality, public care and protection of vulnerable groups.
Consequences More investment in home insulation, public cooling, workplace protection and rapid emissions reductions; this requires higher public spending.
Centre
Arguments The institutional approach combines emissions reductions with practical adaptation: heat plans, warnings, improved workplace regulations and reliable monitoring. Policy choices should be based on local figures and feasible measures.
Values Prevention, proportionality and administrative feasibility.
Consequences Gradual measures can be introduced widely, but may have less immediate effect than the development of temperatures.
Right
Arguments From this perspective, the emphasis is on protection against concrete risks without climate policy automatically leading to broad new regulations or higher costs. Technical solutions, individual preparedness and economic growth should retain room to operate.
Values Personal responsibility, innovation and affordability.
Consequences Targeted adaptation may be cheaper and faster, but does not fully address the cause of increasing heat.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The health risks and the WHO statistic have been confirmed. An unconfirmed comparison from the headline was deliberately not included in the article.
- confirmed The European Lancet Countdown report tracks 43 indicators and was compiled by 65 experts from 46 institutions. — These details appear on the report page. source
- confirmed Heat can worsen existing conditions and poses a major health risk. — The WHO identifies cardiovascular conditions, diabetes and heat as a weather-related health risk, among other things. source
- confirmed Heat-related mortality among people over 65 increased by approximately 85 per cent between the periods mentioned. — The WHO cites this international estimate. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: Deaths from extreme heat are almost as high as deaths from malaria and HIV.Now: The new European report warns of growing health damage from heat, including heat-related mortality. (The publicly available primary sources used do not sufficiently substantiate the precise comparison in the headline.)
Editor's note
The exact global comparisons between heat, malaria and HIV from the headline have not been included because the publicly available main sources used do not substantiate that wording. The article is limited to verifiable findings from the Lancet report and the WHO.Sources
- 2026 Report Europe — Lancet Countdown
- Heat and health — World Health Organization
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „gezondheid hitte”
- Trouw — „gezondheid hitte”
- NRC — „gezondheid hitte”