This is the second in a series of three articles on MOUNTADAPT’s initial research findings, covering four key focus areas. Read the first article here to explore the impacts of climate change on human health through non-communicable diseases, and a zoom on its effects in the Pyrenees mountains.
This second article highlights research results on the effects of extreme weather events (EWEs) on health systems and their broader implications for mountain areas.
Climate change and health risks in European mountain communities
Mountain communities in Europe face significant climate change impacts, including extreme weather events (EWEs). EWEs refer to unusual, severe, or unseasonal weather conditions that significantly deviate from historical averages and have the potential to cause substantial damage, disruption, or loss of life. These events have effects on health systems, which in turn harms human and public health.
As part of the MOUNTADAPT project, the University of Eastern Piedmont – CRIMEDIM (UPO) examined existing research on these effects in mountain areas.
Key research findings
- Heatwaves and health systems: Most scientific reviews focus on the effects of heatwaves on hospitals. Heatwaves increase the use of health services, impacting prehospital, hospital, primary care, pharmacies, and public health systems.
- Floods and healthcare access: The primary effect of floods was to hinder access to care across all health system components due to damaged infrastructure and facilities.
- Wildfires and air quality: The main impact of wildfires on health systems stems from rising particulate matter concentrations, leading to increased healthcare demand and access barriers.
- Knowledge gaps: There is limited research on the effects of cold spells and wildfires on prehospital care systems and pharmacies. Additionally, few reviews focus exclusively on European countries, and scientific evidence specific to European Alpine regions remains scarce, with most disaster management insights coming from technical or grey literature. Most scientific evidence from reviews on the impacts of EWEs on the health system focuses on the effects of heatwaves on hospitals.
Strengthening disaster preparedness with MOUNTADAPT
To address these challenges, UPO will develop a Disaster Preparedness Checklist for demonstrator health systems. This Checklist will provide clear, actionable steps for authorities and healthcare professionals to enhance preparedness and response to extreme weather events in mountain regions.
Read the third article in this series here, with insights into the effect of climate change on airborne allergens.
Stay tuned for more project news in 2025!
