World Health Organization (WHO), 23 June 2025

How summer heat impacts health and how to #KeepCool

As summer approaches the European Region, the promise of sunshine and outdoor activities often overshadows a growing, silent threat: extreme heat. Far from being a mere discomfort, soaring temperatures can pose an escalating risk to human health – claiming lives, causing suffering and burdening health-care systems globally. By raising awareness of these risks and taking simple protective measures, we can safeguard our health throughout the summer months.

The urgency of this heat–health crisis has prompted calls for action from the highest levels, from the WHO Regional Director for Europe declaring the climate crisis and extreme weather a public health emergency in 2023 to the United Nations Secretary-General’s “Call to action on extreme heat” in 2024, both emphasizing the need for robust strategies to protect vulnerable populations.