Frequency of extreme weather events and natural calamities are increasing because of climate change. In this regard, heat events and wildfires are the two major climate risks for Europe. High ambient temperature as well as air pollutants, especially fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and ozone (O₃) during wildfires are a major risk for cardiopulmonary diseases (CPD). This project focuses on the future projection of CPD mortality and morbidity burden due to heat and air pollution, the identification of potential adaptation strategies, the analysis of health co-benefits and the cost estimation of adaptation and climate change mitigation strategies.

We lead the second work package, which focuses on establishing European-wide exposure-response associations for CPD morbidity and mortality, studying also the interactive and synergistic effects of both temperature and air pollution exposures, and the effect on highly vulnerable sub-groups within the population. An additional focus is also on investigating potential effect modifiers and thereby identifying influencing factors on adaptation strategies.

1. To establish quantitative exposure-response relationship between air temperature and cardiopulmonary diseases (CPD) morbidity and mortality
2. To provide quantitative projections of occurrence and population exposures to extreme heat
3. To provide quantitative Europe-wide gridded projections of the future attributable CPD mortality and morbidity due to extreme temperatures and air pollution
4. To project economic costs of the attributable CPD cases and related benefits of adaptation options
5. To contribute to evidence-based policy-making by ensuring high impact of targeted communication and dissemination activities

Participants from following existing cohorts: CONOR (Norway), UK Biobank (UK), KORA (Germany), RoLS (Italy) and SWEDEHEART (Sweden)

European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 820655 (funding period: June 2019 – May 2023)

Partner I: Norway

• CICERO - Centre for International Climate Research, Oslo, cicero.oslo.no/en
  in co-operation with

• Uio – University of Oslo , Oslo, www.uio.no/english/

• Folkehelseinstituttet – Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, www.fhi.no/en

• Infodesignlab AS, Oslo

Partner II: Denmark

• Aarhus University, Aarhus, https://international.au.dk/

Partner III: Romania

• Administratia Nationala De Meteorologie – National Meteorological Administration, Bucharest, www.meteoromania.ro

Partner IV: Portugal

• Universidade do Porto – University of Porto, Porto, sigarra.up.pt/up/pt/

Partner V: Greece

• Ethniko Kai Kapodistriako Panepistimio Athinon – National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, www.uoa.gr

• Draxis Environmental, Thessaloniki, draxis.gr

Partner VI: UK

• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, www.lshtm.ac.uk

Partner VII: Luxembourg

• LISER - Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, www.liser.lu

Partner VIII:  Italy

• Azienda Sanitaria Locale Roma – Regional Health System, Rome

Partner IX: Finland

• Ilmatieteen Laitos – Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, https://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi