A new survey by international emergency medicine experts reveals the severe impact of climate change on global emergency services. With most countries unprepared, the European Society for Emergency Medicine calls for immediate action to mitigate future risks.
International experts in emergency medicine are raising alarms over the severe impact climate change is expected to have on emergency services around the world. Despite its significant implications, few countries have assessed the scale of the impact or developed plans to address it.
During a special session at the European Emergency Medicine Congress, Luis Garcia Castrillo, a retired professor of emergency medicine at the Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla in Santander, Spain, elucidated the findings from a comprehensive survey conducted by EUSEM’s Emergency Medicine Day working group. The survey enlisted 42 focus groups of emergency medicine experts across 36 countries in 13 UN regions.
“On a scale of 0 to 9, they rated the severity of the impact of climate change on health systems and specifically on emergency care, both now and in the future, at an average of 7,” Garcia Castrillo said in a news release.
This rating highlights the gravity, especially considering regional disparities; northern Europe sees it as less problematic than countries like Australia.
The research, soon to be published in the European Journal of Emergency Medicine, shows that a mere 21% of the focus groups reported any assessment of how climate change might impact emergency medical services, while only 38% have taken preparatory measures.
“It is surprising how awareness is lacking in so many countries, as well as among emergency medicine societies. Some countries do not seem to be concerned at all. Yet this is going to affect rich and poor countries alike,” Garcia Castrillo added.
Roberta Petrino, director of the Emergency Department at Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale in Lugano, Switzerland, co-chaired the session and is a co-author of the report. She emphasized the universal concern among emergency medical professionals about the effects of climate change on their services.
“One interesting finding is that the need to implement actions to mitigate climate change is considered important everywhere. In particular, our survey showed the need to strengthen emergency medicine services and education programs for medical students and emergency medicine doctors, as well as research,” Petrino said in the news release.
The survey, conducted between February 15 and March 15, 2024, sought to gauge general awareness and concern about climate change among national and international emergency medicine associations. The top three risks identified were pollution, flooding and heatwaves, whereas minor risks included cold spells, wildfires and vector-borne diseases like malaria.
High-income countries were most concerned about heatwaves, cold spells and wildfires, citing increased patient numbers as a major impact factor. Conversely, low and middle-income countries highlighted food production and health service disruptions as significant risks. Regionally, areas such as Australasia, Eastern Europe, South Asia, South Saharan Africa and Central America anticipate a higher impact from climate change.
The concerns have been validated by the WorldRiskIndex, a statistical model ranking 193 countries’ vulnerability to disasters. Nations with higher risk indexes are increasingly concerned about the rising demands on emergency medical services.
“It is clear from our findings that climate change is expected to have a significant impact on emergency medical services,” Petrino added. “Much greater awareness of this is needed at national and international level among policymakers, health care providers, health care professionals and the general public.”
To address these findings, the European Society for Emergency Medicine calls for immediate action plans to mitigate the impact of climate change on emergency services. The society will establish a permanent working group dedicated to supporting, aiding and monitoring climate-resilience actions in emergency medical services.
“As we head towards the end of a year that has seen records broken for the planet’s hottest days, action cannot come quickly enough. Climate change is having an impact on all countries, rich and poor, regardless of geographical region. The world faces a climate change emergency, and our medical services face an emergency too,” added Petrino.
The severity of the findings underscores a global call to action to not only recognize the looming threats but also to implement strategic preparedness plans to mitigate the inevitable challenges posed by climate change.