The WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, warns that heatwaves are becoming recurring crises in Europe, which is warming twice as fast as the global average.

Hans Kluge, the director of the European region of the World Health Organization (WHO), stated that the recent heatwave in Europe is just a 'general rehearsal' for future summers, which will be more difficult. He emphasized that Europe is warming more than twice as fast as the global average, and heatwaves are becoming increasingly frequent, intense, and prolonged.

Kluge mentioned the increase in emergency medical calls in France and London, as well as the additional deaths recorded in Spain and Italy related to the heatwave. Although he highlighted some successful measures, such as the expansion of cooling shelters in Barcelona and work restrictions in Italy, he pointed out that more than half of European countries do not have a comprehensive action plan for public health in heatwave conditions, calling for greater mobilization to prevent loss of human life.