European authorities are grappling with a deadly heatwave that has killed dozens in recent days. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says leaders must act now, investing in climate-resilient health systems and accelerating climate action.
The WHO urges cities to cool down, ensure access to water and shade, check on at-risk populations, and prepare health systems before peak temperatures hit. The European region is warming at roughly twice the global average, with heat-related deaths rising 30% over the past two decades. In just four years, extreme heat has claimed more than 200,000 lives.
'Heat is no longer only a weather story,' the WHO warned. 'It is a health emergency.'