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Meet the First Signatories Calling for Stronger European Action on Heat and Health

Physicians, nurses, researchers and emergency responders are among the first 1,240 people supporting the Open Letter. Their voices highlight why stronger protection from extreme heat is urgently needed—and why the campaign remains open for signatures in Europe.

The first signatories bring experience from emergency departments, fire services, research institutions and community care. Their perspectives highlight a shared priority: preventing avoidable illness and deaths as extreme heat places growing pressure on people and services.

Coordinated by the Planetary Health Alliance Europe Regional Hub, with support from its Core Partners network, the Open Letter calls on the European Parliament and European Commission to deliver legally binding measures, dedicated funding and measurable health outcomes.

A call spanning professions and borders

The initial signatories come from 28 European countries and a wide range of professional backgrounds. Among them, 581 selected medicine as a professional field, 247 selected health and environmental research, 201 selected public health and health policy, and 101 selected nursing.

Pharmacy and other healthcare professions, social work and care services, and emergency medical, fire and rescue services are also represented. Signatories could select more than one field, so these figures overlap. All have signed in a personal capacity. Their signatures do not imply endorsement by their employers or professional organisations.

Why they are calling for action

The voices below connect the pressures experienced by emergency services with the scientific case for stronger prevention. They highlight the need to protect both the public and the professionals responding to extreme heat.

For emergency physicians, protecting people from heat begins before they reach hospital.

“Heat-associated and heat-triggered illness is absorbed by emergency medicine, and in June this caused overload across large parts of Europe. We therefore need enforceable obligations that protect people before they reach us.”

Professor Christoph Dodt
President of the European Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM)

“Our colleagues across Europe absorb what heat and vegetation fires leave behind. In France and Spain they fought devastating wildfires this summer, in many places far beyond the limit of what they can carry. That requires enforceable rules to protect both emergency responders and the public.”

Karl-Heinz Banse
President of European Union Firefighters’ Association (EUFFAS)

“Up to now, national and EU initiatives, while relevant, have proved insufficient to prevent high heat-related mortality. Through this open letter, we call for binding adaptation measures and dedicated funding to turn scientific evidence into action and prevent further loss of life.”

Josep Maria Antó
Research Professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)

Building a shared European voice

The Open Letter builds on the European Declaration on Heat and Health, endorsed by 129 organisations in August 2026. While the Declaration brought together institutional support, the Open Letter invites individuals to strengthen that collective call for European action.

The campaign draws on the connections fostered by the PHA Europe Core Partners Platform, bringing together expertise in research, healthcare, education, public health and advocacy. This network provides a foundation for collaboration and outreach across Europe.

The Platform comprises the University of Helsinki’s Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) and Lahti University Campus; the Italian National Research Council (CNR); the German Alliance on Climate Change and Health (KLUG); Karolinska Institutet; the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER); the Cochrane Planetary Health Thematic Group; the Portuguese Council for Health and Environment (CPSA); the Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health at Cyprus University of Technology; Alianza Médica por la Salud Planetaria (AMESAP); University Medical Center Utrecht; the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore; Alliance Santé Planétaire; the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL); the Planetary Health Horizon Cluster; and the University of Novi Sad / EUPHA Environment and Health Section.

The first signatures are a starting point

The first 1,240 signatures, collected by 1 November 2026, represent the initial support presented at the campaign’s public launch. A PDF listing these signatories, their professional fields and countries is available alongside the Open Letter.

The campaign remains open, with the aim of reaching thousands of signatures before the letter is formally submitted to the European Parliament and European Commission on 10 December 2026.

Health professionals, scientists and everyone working to protect human health across Europe are invited to participate. The Open Letter is available in 12 languages, and all signatories join in a personal capacity.

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