The impacts of air pollution and climate change‑related events pose a serious threat to people’s physical and mental health today and to future generations. Air pollution increases the risk of various health problems, including respiratory diseases, lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases, with children and older adults particularly vulnerable to its effects. In EU countries, exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) alone – a key air pollutant – is estimated to have caused the death of more than 253 000 people in 2021 (European Environment Agency, 2023[1]). Mortality rates from PM2.5 were highest in Central and Eastern Europe, where premature death rates were more than twice as high as the EU average. Conversely, mortality rates from exposure to fine particulate matter were lowest in Nordic countries, Estonia and Ireland, where rates were less than one‑fifth of the EU average (Figure 4.25).
Climate change can increase the frequency and intensity of extreme temperature events, which can lead to health problems and death. Across EU countries, extreme cold has generally had a greater impact on mortality than heatwaves, although heatwaves have also caused significant numbers of deaths in certain years. The record-warm summer of 2003, for example, caused around 80 000 deaths in Europe, and the heatwaves in the summer of 2015 caused more than 3 000 deaths in France alone. High temperatures can also aggravate poor air quality and increase the risk for other climate‑change related events, such as wildfires, which can in turn further exacerbate air pollution and impact health and well-being.
On average across the 27 EU countries, the proportion of the population who were estimated to have been exposed to any hot summer days – defined as days where the temperature exceeded 35°C – increased from 28% on average from 2000‑04 to 38% on average between 2018‑22 (Figure 4.26). The proportion of the population who were exposed to hot summer days increased by over 50% in eight EU countries. Countries are already reckoning with the impacts of exposure to hot weather on health, particularly on vulnerable groups, including older adults. Between 1991‑2000 and 2013‑22, deaths associated with heat among people 65 and older were estimated to have increased by 85% around the world (Romanello et al., 2023[2])
The European Union has recognised the critical need for cross-sectoral policy actions to curb greenhouse gas emissions, addressing the dual threats of air pollution and climate change to human health and the environment. In 2021, as part of the European Green Deal, the European Commission adopted the Zero Pollution Action Plan. This plan set a bold target to reduce premature deaths caused by fine particulate matter (PM2.5) by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels (European Commission, 2021[3]).
Between 2005 and 2021, the EU witnessed an average annual decline of over 3% in PM2.5‑related mortality, culminating in a 41% reduction over this period. Extrapolating the progress observed over the past ten years, the target will be overreached at the EU level (European Environment Agency, 2023[1]). To achieve this goal, the EU is revising the air quality standards to align them more closely with the stricter WHO recommendations. In parallel, the Commission will also introduce stricter requirements to tackle air pollution at source from agriculture, industry, transport, buildings and energy, including through a number of European Green Deal measures and strategies (such as Sustainable and Smart Mobility, Renovation Wave and Farm to Fork).
