Planning heat–health action

WHO is supporting countries to prevent and respond to heat-related risks to health.

The WHO European Region has experienced an unprecedented rate of warming in recent decades, and is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. In Europe, annual heat-related mortality increased by 52 deaths per million inhabitants in the last decade compared to the 1990s. In 2024, heat-related deaths in Europe were estimated to be nearly 63 000 and the latest projections suggest a steep rise in heat-related deaths in the second half of this century. While extreme heat is projected to increase due to climate change, the associated health effects are largely preventable.

WHO/Europe recommends countries, regions and cities in the Region to develop, implement and improve their heat–health action plans (HHAP). These structured public health plans bring together health and non-health actors to implement preparedness, warning and response actions that reduce heat-related health risks. Effective HHAPs support a systematic and comprehensive public health response that consists of a portfolio of actions at different levels, ensuring reliable delivery, with clear triggers, accountable roles, adequate resources and measurable actions.

In 2021, WHO/Europe issued a comprehensive update of the evidence related to effective heat prevention. Despite the existing gaps in knowledge, the evidence clearly shows a need to expand the number, coverage and reach of HHAPs across the Region.

In 2026, WHO/Europe launched the second edition of the WHO Heat–Health Action Plans Guidance. The first Guidance was published in 2008; this second edition is far more comprehensive and presents an updated HHAP framework across 8 core elements, highlighting key actions and decision points for heat–health action planning, coordination, delivery and improvement. The core elements collectively provide a practical and adaptable approach to preventing and reducing heat-related health impacts by:

• establishing clear governance arrangements, with defined leadership, coordination, roles, responsibilities and financing (Core element 1);
• enabling timely action in response to extreme heat through heat–health warning systems linked to predefined measures (Core element 2);
• identifying and prioritizing protection for populations at increased risk and settings with higher exposure, sensitivity and vulnerability (Core element 3);
• developing and implementing a heat–health communication strategy that provides clear, trusted and actionable advice to the public, professionals and partner sectors before, during and after extreme heat events (Core element 4);
• strengthening the resilience of health services to maintain safe and effective care during extreme heat events (Core element 5);
• reducing heat exposure through immediate protective measures and longer-term changes in buildings, public spaces and urban environments (Core element 6);
• using heat–health surveillance to detect impacts, guide activation and adjust response measures in near real time (Core element 7); and
• embedding monitoring, evaluation and learning to review performance, improve accountability and bolster the HHAP before the next heat season (Core element 8).

To strengthen implementation of the 8 core elements and ensure that they function together as an operational system, countries should use them across the full cycle (preparedness, activation and response, and post-season review and improvement).

The guidance also provides practical tools such as user action briefs for priority sectors to help to translate HHAP priorities into operational actions, as well as a public health message bank with short, ready-to-use messages tailored to key audiences and settings to support timely, consistent and locally adapted communications.