Latest reports suggest that the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new European commission that is intended to provide health sector solutions to climate change.
The Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health (PECCH) is an independent advisory group convened by WHO Europe that brings together 11 commissioners from across the region, with Sir Andrew Haines of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine as the chief scientific advisor. The commission will deliver recommendations that address the intersection of health and climate.
At a press briefing today in Reykjavík, Iceland, PECCH chair, former Icelandic Prime Minister Her Excellency Katrín Jakobsdóttir said that although climate change has been a big issue in global politics for decades, not enough has been done.
“We’ve seen too many reports and not enough action,” she said. “I know it’s difficult to implement policy on climate change, [but] we will be focused on what actually can be done. I’m optimistic that we will deliver concrete recommendations.”
Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world, with 2024 the warmest year on record, according to the European Environment Agency. Extreme weather events have caused up to 145,000 deaths across Europe in the past 40 years, with a majority caused by heatwaves. The changing climate also continues to alter the distribution of disease vectors, with the expansion of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses, and to impact food systems, water quality, and ecosystems.
Despite the growing threat posed by climate change, action — including within the health sector — remains inadequate to match the level of response required. PECCH will attempt to address the health impacts of climate change by determining interconnected health risks and opportunities for health improvement through adaptation and mitigation strategies, identifying gaps in government actions and policies, recommending strategies for action, increasing awareness on the role of health in climate policy, and advising the WHO.
Story was adapted from Medscape.
