Following tens of thousands of premature deaths linked to this summer’s European heatwave, the European Green Party is calling on the European Commission and national governments to ‘prepare systematically’ for future periods of extreme heat.
“If 50,000 people died in a single disaster, Europe would declare an emergency,” commented Ciarán Cuffe, co-chair of the European Green Party.
“Because these deaths are spread across a summer, right-wing politicians too often treat them as background noise. These people should still be alive. Europe must prepare now for the next summers and protect people before the next heatwave hits.”
Heat-related deaths
The Green Party’s call follows on from research published in the Nature Health journal, which estimated that more than 50,000 people died prematurely from heat across 854 European cities during the most recent summer, with 32,619 of those deaths attributed to human-induced climate change.
The research, which was undertaken by scientists at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, reported an estimated death toll 71% higher than the previous record, which was set in 2022, underpinning the need for drastic action, the party added.
Vula Tsetsi, co-chair, said Europe needed to accelerate the implementation of its climate commitments and push back against right-wing scepticism over the role of climate change in influencing the frequency and intensity of extreme heat.
“The conservative and far-right backlash against climate policies must stop,” she said. “Their dismantling of the Green Deal is weakening the few protections people in Europe have against deadly heat.
“Europe needs to implement its climate commitments faster, prepare our cities and rural areas for extreme weather and ensure that people can afford to keep their homes cool. Protecting people, cutting energy bills and strengthening Europe’s energy security must go hand in hand.”
European Greens Congress
The European Green Party said practical solutions would be discussed at its European Greens Congress in Warsaw from 11-13 December, with the event set to welcome mayors, ministers and former ministers to discuss heatwaves, energy poverty and European security.
‘The Congress will focus on how Europe can better protect people, strengthen its resilience and energy security, and tackle both the cost of living, and the cost of climate inaction,’ it noted. Read more here and here.
