The annual EU Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis, 15 July, established in 2023, serves to commemorate victims in Europe as well as worldwide and to raise awareness of concrete steps that people can take at their level to help prevent and respond to climate disasters.

The day is a call to all of us to act now to minimise the impact of climate change and to prepare for the risks it brings, to help protect what’s most precious to us – our lives and our health.

The science is clear: extreme weather events and disasters are becoming more frequent and more intense as a direct consequence of climate change. Average temperatures are rising globally and weather patterns are becoming increasingly unpredictable.

As the climate heats up, it will bring with it all kinds of risks. From more frequent extreme weather events like heatwaves, droughts or floods, to coastal erosion and rising sea levels, the impacts will affect everyone.

Around the world, millions of people have already lost their homes, livelihoods or lives as a consequence of climate impacts. Climate-driven food and water insecurity is on the increase. When the risks combine with other adverse events, they become even more difficult to manage.

Climate risks pose a threat to people and prosperity also in Europe. Across the European Union, climate-related extreme weather already takes lives and inflicts economic damage. Even when the consequences aren’t deadly, they leave a lasting impact on the local economy and communities.

To prevent the worst impacts of climate change, we must continue to cut our greenhouse gas emissions and encourage global action to fight climate change, to tackle the root cause of global warming.

We must also better prepare for and manage climate-related risks that are already here – and will continue to grow. This requires investments, but the costs are modest compared to the cost of inaction. Preparing our homes, infrastructure, economy and health systems for climate change will help us save lives in the future.

The European Union is taking action. It is putting in place policies and measures to become climate-neutral by 2050 – an economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions – and to prepare for the unavoidable impacts of climate change, making our societies more resilient and protecting people and prosperity in Europe and globally.

Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world, and climate risks are threatening its energy and food security, ecosystems, infrastructure, water resources, financial stability, and people’s health.
(European Climate Risk Assessment, EEA 2024)

Climate risks are growing

As global temperature continues to rise, extreme weather events and long-term effects of climate change are claiming lives and affecting communities worldwide. The consequences of climate change are felt in all parts of the world. Interconnected with other risks and vulnerabilities, they affect all areas of people’s lives today and in the future.

People and communities are increasingly at risk from life-threatening extreme weather events, such as floods and storms.

95% of all fatalities related to weather and climate extremes in Europe over the past 40 years have been linked to heatwaves, claiming around 48,000 lives in 2023 alone (Source: European Environment Agency, 2024). Cities are hit the hardest by extreme heat. Due to the urban heat island effect, temperatures in cities and towns can reach 10 to 15 degrees more than surrounding rural areas, intensifying already extreme heat stress (JRC, 2022).ž

Rising temperatures are associated with increased mortality, morbidity, hospital admissions, and mental health burden for disorders such as suicide, anxiety, affective, and addictive disorders.

Individuals directly exposed to climate disasters are at increased risk of mental health problems including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. (Source: Heinz & Brandt, 2024)

Globally, 3.6 billion people live in areas highly susceptible to climate change. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250 000 additional deaths per year, from undernutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress alone. (Source: WHO)

The impacts of climate change put our societies and economies under strain, posing risks to the wellbeing of current and future generations.

Economic losses of assets from weather- and climate-related events in the EU between 2021 and 2024 were 208 billion EUR.

NEXT STEP: In late 2026, the European Commission will propose a new European Integrated Framework for Climate Resilience, to safeguard Europe’s security and prosperity, boost its competitiveness, and protect our health and well-being.

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