More than 1,200 professionals working in medicine, nursing, research and other health-related fields from 27 European countries have signed an open letter calling on European institutions to deliver stronger political commitment, greater investment and binding measures to protect public health from extreme heat. Led by the Planetary Health Alliance Europe Regional Hub , the initiative builds on the European Declaration on Heat and Health , published in August 2026 with the support of 129 organisations.
The open letter will be formally submitted on 10 December, a day before the Environment Council takes its first position on the proposed European Climate Resilience Law. Presented by the European Commission on 27 October, the proposal is now being considered by the European Parliament and the Council.
"Up to now, national and EU initiatives, while relevant, have proved insufficient to prevent high heat-related mortality. Through this open letter, we call for binding adaptation measures and dedicated funding to turn scientific evidence into action and prevent further loss of life," says Josep Maria Antó , Research Professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). ISGlobal has coordinated the European Secretariat of the Planetary Health Alliance since early 2026.
The human and economic consequences of extreme heat
According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the summer of 2026 was the hottest on record in Western Europe, with significant implications for human health. Heat-related mortality strikes hardest where disadvantage already exists. The people most affected are overwhelmingly older people, women, people with chronic conditions, outdoor workers and those living alone in overheated housing. On an economic level, extreme heatwaves and wildfires reduced the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the European Union by approximately 1% in 2026, in the order of €180 billion.
6 key demands to the European Union
The health and scientific community demands a radical shift in ambition and resources through six key measures:
- Move to operative emergency: turn commitments into legally binding adaptation obligations, set health outcome targets, treat heat as a priority risk, and recognise extreme heat as a serious, cross-border health threat.
- Adopt a European Heat–Health Action Plan: establish an emergency adaptation fund to protect healthcare facilities, care homes, nurseries, and schools, and deploy integrated health warning systems for heat and wildfire smoke in every Member State.
- Close the gap in European occupational heat protection: pass a directive on the prevention of heat-related occupational risks, featuring binding and regionally calibrated temperature thresholds, automatic work restrictions, and compensation rules extending to temporary, migrant, and platform workers.
- Guarantee access to safe indoor temperatures for vulnerable people: extend the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive so that passive cooling reaches the existing housing stock, and plan electricity grids for summer peaks.
- Accelerate mitigation as health policy: phase out the more than €400 billion in annual fossil fuel subsidies, deliver on the Green Deal and 2040 climate targets, and redirect resources towards clean energy, improved air quality, resilient health systems, and a Common Agricultural Policy aligned with healthy, sustainable nutrition.
- Put health, evidence and equity at the centre of all EU climate policy: prioritise measures that simultaneously protect health, reduce emissions, and build resilience; assess the health benefits and harms of European Union legislation; ensure ongoing independent surveillance; and give formal voice to health professionals and affected communities in European climate governance.
The signatories do not exempt themselves. They commit to preparing heat plans tied to warning levels, to protecting their staff as a precondition of protecting their patients, and to reaching first for those most at risk.
The open letter will remain open for signatures until 10 December, when it will be sent to the European Parliament and the European Commission.
