This text is part of the Weather Preparedness & Resilience Toolbox developed by the YOUROPE Event Safety (YES) Group within YOUROPE’s 3F project (Future-Fit Festivals). It is aimed at everyone involved in planning, building, and operating open-air events. It helps festivals and other outdoor events become truly weather-ready by offering both practical and research-based resources as well as background information on weather and climate. Learn how to design safer and more weather-resilient outdoor events.
Responding to climate change impacts on human health in Europe: focus on floods, droughts and water quality“, EEA Report 3/2024 eea.europa
The report describes how changing precipitation patterns, more frequent and intense floods, droughts and deteriorating water quality affect human health in Europe (e.g. injuries, infectious diseases, chemical exposure, mental health). It assesses how well Europe is prepared politically and institutionally for these water-related climate risks, including links to EU adaptation strategy, civil protection mechanisms and health strategies.
The aim is to raise awareness of the full spectrum of water-related health risks and to identify gaps in prevention, adaptation and crisis management.
The report presents concrete examples and measures from various sectors (health, water management, urban planning, civil protection) and different levels of governance in EEA member states to illustrate adaptation and resilience to these risks.
The report recommends systematically incorporating water-related climate risks into health, water and disaster management policies and significantly strengthening prevention, monitoring and adaptation.
- Climate change, water management and public health should be integrated into national and local strategies
- Risk analyses for floods, droughts and water quality problems should include health-related indicators and be regularly updated, including scenarios for extreme events.
- Expansion of monitoring and early warning systems for floods, droughts and waterborne diseases, linked to health surveillance (reporting channels between environmental and health authorities).
- Development of clear emergency and contingency plans (e.g. drinking water supply, sewage, hospital operations, evacuation) with regular exercises at local level.
- Specific measures for risk groups (children, the elderly, the chronically ill, the socially disadvantaged, people in high-risk areas) should be included in all adaptation plans.
- Climate-resilient design of critical infrastructure
- Strengthening risk communication and health education
More information
- https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/responding-to-climate-change-impacts
- https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/responding-to-climate-change-impacts/responding-to-climate-change-impacts
- https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/climate-change-impacts-risks-and-adaptation
- https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/climate-change-impacts-and-vulnerability-2016/key-findings
- https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/european-union-8th-environment-action-programme/chapters/chapter-2-climate-change-adaptation/@@download/file
- https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/europe-environment-2025/thematic-briefings/climate-change/climate-risks-to-society
- https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/climate/publications
- https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/newsroom/news/state-of-europes-environment-2025
- https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/the-impacts-of-heat-on-health