An independent academic panel, which includes former German Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach, is urging the World Health Organization (WHO) to immediately classify the escalating climate crisis as a global health emergency. This strong recommendation comes from a comprehensive report, according to reporting by the newspaper “Spiegel”.
The group is known as the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health, an eleven-member body established a year ago by the WHO’s Europe office. It is chaired by former Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, and its membership also includes prominent figures like former Danish EU Commissioner for Climate, Connie Hedegaard.
In their report, the commission demands that the WHO declare a “health state of emergency of international concern”-the highest level of alert status, last declared at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lauterbach told “Spiegel” that the WHO should have placed climate change at the top of its agenda much sooner, noting, “Its dangers lie not only in the economic consequences but also in the health consequences”.
The 54-page report warns that climate change is already threatening the health and lives of millions of people today. For instance, only in the record-high heat year of 2024 were an estimated 63,000 people in Europe reported dead due to heat-related causes. The report highlighted that continental temperatures have risen twice as fast in recent decades compared to the global average.
The commission stated that “the climate crisis poses a threat to security, social cohesion, human rights, and health” lamenting that “too long was it considered a problem for future generations”.
To address this, the panel proposed several measures. Key recommendations include establishing a WHO Information Centre for Climate and Health. This center would provide governments with data and arguments to combat climate deniers. Furthermore, the WHO should be required to assess every two years how effectively member states are preparing their health systems for climate change. Finally, the panel urged national governments to eliminate subsidies for fossil fuels.
Currently, WHO regulations do not grant the organization the authority to declare an emergency due to rising temperatures. Therefore, the commission argues that these rules must be updated to enable the WHO to coordinate countermeasures, for example, during catastrophic heatwaves.
The report is slated to be presented in Geneva on Sunday afternoon, just ahead of the World Health Assembly, the highest decision-making body of the WHO, which convenes Monday. Throughout the weekend, representatives from all 193 member states will be meeting to determine the organization’s future direction.