With Europe in the grip of catastrophic heat conditions, the World Health Organization has released a timely new edition of a document providing detailed guidance on protecting health and healthcare during extreme heat.
The column also brings news on Ebola, air pollution, a plug for yoga, and a new policy brief that challenges the pervasive negative framing of ageing.
Stronger national action to address racism – including improved media accountability – is one of 25 recommendations put forward by a report released today by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss.
The quotable?
Until humanity stops burning coal, oil and gas, extreme heat will keep getting worse.”
Catastrophic heat
On 11 June, the European region of the World Health Organization (WHO) released the second edition of Heat–health action plans: guidance.
This detailed, 294-page document states that the WHO European Region is the global region that is warming fastest, and that extreme heat is responsible for some 95 percent of all climate-related deaths in Europe. The summer heatwave of 2022 caused more than 60,000 premature deaths.
“The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat; it is a stark reality, and its most immediate and lethal manifestation is extreme heat,” the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, says in the foreword.
Since the first edition of this guidance in 2008, he said Europe had witnessed a dramatic escalation in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves.
“These are no longer anomalies but a recurring feature every year, exerting a heavy toll on human health, straining our health systems, and widening the gap of health inequities. Since 2023, because of these concerns, I have declared the climate crisis and extreme weather a public health emergency in the Region.
“In further recognition of this threat to global health, in 2024 United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a Call to Action on Extreme Heat to enhance international cooperation to address this escalating challenge.”
Just a few weeks after this document’s launch, the headlines from the European heatwave this week are grim.
It is affecting economic activities, infrastructure, agriculture and ecosystems, with reports of 40 people having drowned in France alone and young children having been found dead in cars. Hundreds of thousands of chickens were killed by the heat in France, Reuters reported.
French authorities have announced short-term bans on public alcohol consumption and sales in Paris, in a bid to ease pressure on the city’s hospitals during the heatwave. The ambulance service in Paris reports four times more cardiac arrests than normal over a 24-hour period.
BBC reported that hundreds of schools shut across England and Wales and transport has also been disrupted, with train passengers advised to avoid all non-essential travel.
The Heat-Health Action Plan document emphasises that it is not just a tool for a health ministry, but is also a blueprint for urban planners, social services and emergency responders.
It says extreme heat affects four key operational functions of a health system: the health workforce; health information systems; infrastructure, technologies and supply chains; and service delivery.
“The evidence is clear: investing in emission reductions is far cheaper than paying for climate damage,“ it says. “Yet, while we push for emission reductions, we must also prepare for rougher times.”
The publication will no doubt contain much of interest and use to Australian decision makers and planners, across all sectors.
Global health
Ageing well
The way societies talk about ageing can shape everything from public policy to people’s own expectations of later life, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) said in a new report that calls for shifting away from narratives that portray older persons as a burden.
UN News reports that many older persons continue to work, volunteer, care for family members and contribute to their communities, and that this contribution is increasingly recognised as an economic opportunity rather than a challenge.
A recent World Economic Forum report described longevity as “one of the most consequential, addressable and underestimated potential drivers of economic growth” for countries with both younger and older populations.
However, crisis-oriented language often focuses on pressures on pensions, healthcare systems and public finances, says the UNECE policy brief, Changing the Narrative on Ageing and Older Persons.
“When ageing is viewed primarily through the lens of dependency and cost, policy debates can become narrowly focused on short-term challenges,” the brief notes.
It warns that terms such as “demographic time bomb” or “silver tsunami” can reinforce stereotypes and narrow public discussion about how societies can adapt to demographic change.
First Nations
Stronger national action to address racism – including implementation of the National Anti Racism Framework and improved media accountability – is one of 25 recommendations put forward by a report released today by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss.
More than two years since the Framework’s publication, the Australian Government is yet to respond to its recommendations, despite having commissioned the Australian Human Rights Commission to develop it.
The new report also renews calls for a national Human Rights Act and implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
‘A Fair and Just Future for First Peoples: Social Justice Report 2025’ calls for a national representative mechanism and a Makarrata Commission for truth telling and agreement making.
Other recommendations include:
- Raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14.
- Create independent oversight of deaths in custody to ensure investigations are fair, transparent and accountable.
- Provide long-term, needs based funding to Aboriginal community controlled organisations as they provide more effective, culturally safe services and support self determination.
- Reform native title laws and strengthen cultural heritage protections.
The Commissioner has requested a formal, public response from the Australian Government, outlining how it will act on the report’s recommendations, including timelines and accountability measures.
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