Heat stress on Health

“Heatwaves are a silent killer because they take the lives of people who are already vulnerable.”

Heatwaves are associated with profound adverse impacts on humans and natural systems, such as increased mortality and morbidity particularly among vulnerable populations or increased energy, water demand and reduced economic productivity. They also harm the natural systems by increasing the probability of wildfires and damage, disrupting the ecosystem and their services, reducing agricultural productivity and causing habitat loss among other effects.

Much of Europe has experienced intense and recurrent heatwaves since 2000, affecting our everyday lives in such a significant way that they are a top priority for climate adaptation in many communities. Moreover, they are expected to worsen in intensity, frequency, and duration due to climate change, and thus their negative impacts. For instance, REACHOUT cities like Milan, Athens, and Logroño have already seen more frequent and intense heatwaves, increasing their concern.

Major policy questions:

How intense and frequent will heatwaves be in the future?
Which are the most affected areas and populations?
How to design adaptation plans and regional policies in line with future heat risks and vulnerable populations?

Heat Health Warning Systems (HHWS) consist of methods and technologies to assess the relationship between heat and health. Based on these assessments, a system of graded risks is established to launch action plans aimed at reducing the impact on vulnerable populations. Deploying HHWS is recognized as one of the key measures to prevent and mitigate the effects of heatwaves on the population.

In the REACHOUT project, the Thermal Assessment Tool provides information on heatwave risks, classified into three levels: “warning,” “alert,” and “alarm.” These levels describe the severity of impacts and offer easy-to-understand visualizations showing the number of heatwave days, frequency, and intensity for each risk level under current and future climate conditions, across different regional scales. This information can be combined with exposure and vulnerability indicators to estimate the impact on populations. REACHOUT’s Social Vulnerability Tool enables regional authorities to assess areas prone to higher heatwave risks.

Raising awareness among citizens and supporting governments in preparing and protecting cities through effective policy-making is crucial. Climate stories play a pivotal role in increasing awareness, fostering cross-sectoral collaboration, and shaping a collective vision for adaptation. Once the groundwork is laid, cities can progress by identifying and benchmarking adaptation options through the RESIN Adaptation Option Library.

Cities face a vast range of adaptation options and interconnected challenges. To encourage a holistic approach and facilitate better understanding and coordination among stakeholders, the Resilience Pathway Visualization Tool (RPVT) offers a strategic assessment and decision-making framework. This tool allows for planning vulnerability and risk reduction while maintaining flexibility in implementing measures. By doing so, cities can avoid inefficient resource allocation—acting either too early or too late.

Heat stress on Health​

Major policy questions:

The climate story of Gdynia​

Heat stress on Health

The climate story of Gdynia