In June 2019 a consortium of researchers from different disciplines and ten European countries began a journey together in the Horizon2020 climate change and health project EXHAUSTION. The starting point was how the effects of heatwaves, air pollution and a changing climate leads to more heart and lung diseases in Europe, and premature deaths related to these challenges. The aim of the project has been to identify adaptation strategies that will help avoid premature death and disease among vulnerable groups. This includes older people, the chronically ill, and disadvantaged people. The overall goal was to increase European resilience.

As part of the legacy of the project we have developed a White Paper including five stand alone chapters which reflects a  selection of important findings and results from the project related to the questions above. The paper includes key research and policy recommendations, and we recommend you to read them.

The chapters in the White Paper have the following topics:

You can download the papers here:

1. Heat and high levels of air pollution have an interactive effect on health, particularly for vulnerable people

2. In a climate with increasingly frequent and extended heatwaves, mitigation of ozone and particulate matter will benefit health

3. Smoke concentrations from fires may double by the middle of the century

4. Temperature-related mortality will strongly increase in Europe over the 21st century, though most of the deaths can be avoided by mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation policies

5. Effective adaptation and mitigation can reduce the socio-economic costs of climate change

The full paper can be found here