Experts Urge WHO to Declare Climate Crisis Top Health Alert as Europe Spends €444 Billion on Fossil Fuels
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 16
Experts Urge WHO to Declare Climate Crisis Top Health Alert as Europe Spends €444 Billion on Fossil Fuels
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 16
An 11-member WHO-convened commission said the climate crisis now warrants a public health emergency of international concern, the agency’s highest alert level previously used for outbreaks such as Covid and Mpox.
The report says worsening heat, floods, air pollution, food insecurity and the spread of diseases including dengue and chikungunya are already driving avoidable illness and deaths, with millions more at risk without coordinated action.
European governments were also urged to end fossil-fuel subsidies blamed for 600,000 premature deaths a year in Europe; the report put regional support for oil and gas at about €444 billion annually.
The recommendations, due before European ministers on Sunday and the World Health Assembly on Monday, also call for tougher action on climate disinformation, mental-health harms and hospital resilience as healthcare itself accounts for 5% of global emissions.
As tropical diseases like dengue reach the US and Europe, are local healthcare systems truly prepared for this new climate-driven threat?
With a court ruling fossil fuel subsidies a 'wrongful act,' will Europe redirect its €444 billion from oil to public health?
Declaring Climate Change a Public Health Emergency: The Case for Ending Europe’s €444 Billion Fossil Fuel Subsidies
Overview
On May 16, 2026, a WHO-convened commission called for the climate crisis to be declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), highlighting overwhelming evidence that fossil fuel reliance leads directly to widespread health failures and premature deaths. This urgent move aims to push health leaders to actively engage in the climate debate, not just react to its consequences. Declaring a PHEIC is a powerful tool, as it can trigger coordinated global responses and galvanize domestic action, emphasizing the need for immediate, collective efforts to address the health impacts of climate change.