With regard to climate and health research for the European Economic Area, the EU CLIMATE-ADAPT portal lists 384 research projects on climate change, of which 51 have a health component. In the WHO European Region, Member States outside
of the European Economic Area have an increasing interest in climate change research. Often, research is needed to develop national assessments, but is poorly funded.
The way forward
Throughout the WHO European Region, Member State governments are aware of and working towards the implementation of the climate change commitments within the environment and health process. Governance mechanisms are progressively being established, and robust progress is being made in certain areas, including vulnerability and impact assessments, the strengthening of health systems, and awareness raising. However, much remains to be done in several areas.
Specifically, the development of government-approved national plans and strategies with sound health components could boost the effectiveness of health adaptation activities in the Region.
Whether part of or independent of these
plans, research and evidence need to be at the core of any health-related adaptation or mitigation activity. Also, there is room for expanding the use of early warning systems for context-specific climatic risks. Moreover, the explicit consideration of climate change in strengthening medium- and long-term health systems can help reduce manageable climate risks; building health workforce capacity is a key component of this risk management.
Last, it is important not to underestimate the exemplary power of the health sector in leading the way towards sustainability.
Improving the sector’s environmental performance can help release resources to strengthen its core mandate of health maintenance and promotion.
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Environmental health inequalities refer to disparities in the exposure and vulnerability of population subgroups to environmental risks, with potential effects on health and health equity. Evidence shows that environmental health inequalities are strongly expressed in the WHO European Region and that they persist even when population-wide exposure to environmental risks is reduced.
For the WHO European Region, environmental health inequalities have gained increasing attention as a challenge and represent a serious concern for the general public and policy-makers alike.
Following the commitment of WHO European Member States to “address socioeconomic and gender inequalities in environmental exposure” and to “act on environmental health risks faced by vulnerable groups” (Parma Declaration (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010)), 20 Member States were actively involved in preparing the first assessment report on environmental health inequalities in the European Region (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2012). Environmental