Climate change is happening now – and even if we effectively reduce global emissions, it will continue to affect our lives . Floods, droughts, heat waves and other climate-related hazards are becoming more intense, longer and more frequent. These dangers are considerable medical and economic impacts. While all Europeans are affected by climate change, some communities and regions are more vulnerable. Extreme weather events such as storms, heatwaves and floods have claimed between 85,000 and 145,000 human deaths in Europe over the past 40 years. More than 85 % of these deaths were caused by heat waves. Economic losses caused by extreme weather and climate in Europe reached approximately half a billion euros in the same period.