Europe moving too slowly to tackle 'triple environmental crisis'

Rare native plant species will disappear as Ireland's climate changes. Picture: Larry Cummins

Europe is moving far too slowly to tackle "the triple environmental crisis of climate change, pollution, and loss of biodiversity", the continent's leading health official has said.

The World Health Organization's (WHO) regional director for Europe Dr Hans Henri Kluge said nearly 700,000 "needless deaths can be attributed to air pollution alone", with 1.4 million people dying yearly in the continent due to environmental factors.