Eurofound Talks
Eurofound Talks
Podcast episode
Episode 44
22 April 2026

Are Europeans prepared for climate change?

As the climate crisis intensifies, is Europe ready for the heat? In this episode of Eurofound Talks, Mary McCaughey explores the renter’s trap and the growing affordability crisis with experts from the EEA and Eurofound. Despite 80% of Europeans feeling the impact of extreme weather, a staggering 38% cannot afford to keep their homes cool. From the risk of "renovictions" to regional disparities in preparedness, the discussion bridges the gap between EU green ambitions and the stark reality of households. Discover why individual awareness isn't enough and what collective policy actions are needed to protect the vulnerable.

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Mary McCaughey

Head of Unit
Information and Communication

Mary McCaughey is Head of Information and Communication in Eurofound. A graduate of Trinity College, Dublin and the College of Europe, Bruges, she started work in Brussels with Europolitics and the Wall Street Journal Europe. She worked with the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA) in South Africa during the country’s transition to democracy, and in 1998 she took up the post of spokesperson with the Delegation of the European Union in Pretoria, heading up its press and information department during the negotiation of the EU–South Africa free trade agreement. Following the end of the Kosovo War, she worked as a communications consultant for the European Agency for Reconstruction in Serbia. She took up the post of Editor-in-Chief in Eurofound in 2003.

Marianna Baggio

Research officer
Social policies research

Marianna Baggio is a research officer in the Social Policies unit at Eurofound, working on aspects of the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), as well as on the topics of gender pay transparency and informal care. Prior to joining Eurofound, she served as a policy analyst at the Competence Centre for Behavioural Insights of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. She has worked as a postdoc at the University Vita-Salute San Raffaele (Milan) and the University of Trento. She also brings extensive experience from a previous role as corporate social responsibility (CSR) officer in South Africa. Marianna holds a PhD in Economics and Management from the University of Trento, specialising in behavioural economics.

Aleksandra Kazmierczak

Dr. Aleksandra Kazmierczak is an expert in climate change and human health at the European Environment Agency (EEA). She coordinates the European Climate and Health Observatory – a partnership between the European Commission, the European Environment Agency (EEA), and several other organisations.

Related content

Publication

4 February 2026

Overheated and underprepared — Europeans’ experience of living with climate change
This joint report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and Eurofound explores Europeans’ experience of climate-related impacts, concern about future impacts, and resilience actions taken by households and local authorities. It draws on data collected from the 2025 Eurofound Living and Working in the EU e-survey, and highlights how climate resilience varies across regions and demographic groups, including populations that are particularly vulnerable. Importantly, the report provides the first Europe-wide overview of implemented climate resilience measures – both at the household and local authority level. 
Flag of the European UnionThis website is an official website of the European Union.
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
The tripartite EU agency providing knowledge to assist in the development of better social, employment and work-related policies