How to find climate-health stories in Europe

In 2020, the European Union approved the European Green Deal, setting its member states on the path to carbon neutrality by 2050. And in 2024, the EU revised its Ambient Air Quality Directive to reduce fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide in air to much lower levels, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), and also monitor newly recognized air pollutants of concern, such as ultrafine particulate matter. Through these steps and more, Europe has become a proving ground for climate and health policy.

The EU Climate Adaptation Strategy explicitly links health to climate resilience, pushing member states to develop heat action plans, strengthen disease surveillance and redesign cities to withstand floods and heat waves. Research networks like the Lancet Countdown Europe publish annual reports showing how climate change is already shaping health indicators across the continent. And studies by the European Environment Agency have quantified lives saved by cleaner air - evidence with lessons far beyond Europe's borders.

Journalists can ramp up their national environmental health care coverage by following how communities, researchers and policymakers are responding to Europe's changing climate, which is already transforming public health.

Climate resilience and a warming continent

As the world's fastest warming continent, Europe has some of the most advancedheat wave warning systems, air pollution monitoring networks and cross-border disease surveillance programs. European institutions have pioneered frameworks that link climate adaptation directly to public health - including the EU's Climate and Health Observatory and the World Health Organization's regional heat-health action plans.

Many EU countries are treating coal phaseouts, tree planting or urban cooling strategies not just as climate policies but also as public health interventions, with clear indicators related to mortality and disease prevalence. In many ways, Europe is setting an example for the rest of the world, offering both cautionary tales of vulnerability and evidence that strong policy saves lives.

The sources collected here span European institutions, national agencies, research networks and advocacy groups and can help journalists track continental trends and uncover local stories.

Pan-European institutions & agencies

Getting familiar with continent-wide decisions and data is a good starting place for understanding how a member country stands out within the EU, and how broad policies may affect particular places.

National-level sources

Nations often offer finer scale detail to help narrow further into a topic.

Academic and research networks

Use the latest research as a news peg for greater nuance when refining a topic.

NGOs and advocacy organizations

Advocates offer important stakeholder viewpoints and can often connect a journalist with local sources.

Assessing datasets and maps from afar can help journalists decide on a location or source that stands out in some way, improving international travel planning.