Climate Change, Urbanization Toward a Systemic Adaptation to Heat

Mathilde Pascal is a climate change and health project manager at Santé Publique France (French National Public Health Institute). This article derives from one written for the 2023 Perry World House Global Shifts Colloquium, “Living with Extreme Heat: Our Shared Future.” 

Climate change, the destruction of biodiversity, and the overall alteration of the environment constitute a major threat to the physical and mental health of the global population. Acting to keep the increase in global average temperature below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels by 2100, while protecting biodiversity and developing adaptation, is a public health priority widely shared by public health professionals.

Heat is one of the most rapidly changing climate-related health issues. It was perceived as anecdotal before the 2003 heatwave in Europe, which resulted in 70,000 excess deaths, including 15,000 in France. Twenty years later, despite growing investments in heat prevention and warning systems in Europe, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) identified “mortality and morbidity of people and ecosystems disruption due to heat” as a key risk for Europe. The IPCC considers current and planned adaptation measures insufficient to limit the health impacts of heat.

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