Extreme Weather Events: How Do We Prepare for an Increasingly Hostile Climate?

[This document is one of a series of discussion notes addressing fundamental questions about global health. Its purpose is to transfer scientific knowledge into the public conversation and decision-making process. The papers are based on the best information available and may be updated as new information comes to light.]

Spain, like the rest of the Mediterranean region, has become one of the areas most affected by the climate crisis. And floods are not the only extreme weather events exacerbated by global warming: estimates show that more than 47,000 people died in Spain as a result of high temperatures in 2023.

The country needs to urgently develop more effective protocols to address climate change and, even more importantly, public authorities must ensure that everyone is aware of these protocols and adheres to them when necessary. Our institutions must protect us from the worst consequences of these events and society must be educated in order to prepare for and cope with such emergencies and disasters.

En this ISGlobal policy brief, Clara Marín-Carballo, Elizabeth Diago-Navarro and Claudia García-Vaz address the mechanisms in place to protect us, and the challenges to overcome in order to achieve a fully prepared society, followed by specific policy recommendations.

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