Recommendations from the policy conference

Here are seven of the policy recommendations from the conference:

1. Due to the interactive effects of air pollution and heat, policies reducing air pollution concentrations in Europe, such as the revised Ambient Air Quality Directive, will not only reduce the health effects of air pollution but also prevent death and disease from heat.

2. Even in the most optimistic emission scenarios, it is anticipated that the contribution from wildfires to air pollution will increase. There needs to be stronger wildfire management and prevention.

3. Policies addressing the health risks from air pollution should be included in heat–health action plans developed across Europe.

4. No health adaptation strategies can give the same benefits for health as mitigation: Urgent cut in emissions will have immediate and long-standing health benefits. We need to keep the focus on policies on emission reductions, while adaptation strategies will still be needed. Health should be a driver for mitigation.

5. Air pollution and climate change policies should not be two separate policy areas but need to go hand in hand to harvest the health co-benefits.

6. The design of adaptation policies should be supported by strong scientific evidence and encourage evaluation studies on specific adaptation strategies.

7. Highlighting differences in impact across and within countries: There is a diverse and uneven distribution of the socioeconomic impacts of health effects due to climate change among and within countries. This highlights potential issues of equity and fairness within Europe, which should be considered for policymakers.

Photo left to right: Elina Bardram, DG Climate Action, European Commission, Francois Wakenhut, DG Environment, European Commission, Sophie Perroud, HEAL, Klea Katsouyanni, Professor, University of Athens, Javi López, MEP, European Parliament, Kristin Aunan, CICERO & project leader, Joan Ballester, ISGlobal, Annette Peters, Helmholtz Munich, Zorana Jovanovic Andersen, European Respiratory Society, Ulas Im, University of Aarhus

Presentations from the conference in PDF:

Introduction to the topic:

• Kristin Aunan, Research director at CICERO Center for international climate research & project leader

Projected warming and air pollution developments in Europe, including from wildfires, and health effects of interaction between heat and air pollution

• Alexandra Schneider, Deputy Director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Head of Research Group "Environmental Risks", Helmholtz Munich: Heat and air pollution - a joint threat for health

• Ulas Im, Senior Scientist, University of Aarhus: Air pollution over Europe under various future emission scenarios

• Sourangsu Chowdhury, Senior researcher, CICERO Center for international climate research: Contribution of forest fires to annual ambient air pollution and related excess deaths: Present status and future projections

  Current and projected temperature-related health burden in Europe and socio-economic costs of climate change and benefits of climate action.

• Antonio Gasparrini, Professor of biostatistics and epidemiology, The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM): Current and projected temperature-related mortality in Europe: some notes on adaptation and mitigation strategies.

• Matteo Pinna Pintor, Research Associate, at the Luxembourg Institute for Socio-Economic Research (LISER).

• Lin Ma, Senior researcher, CICERO Center for international climate research: Social and economic consequences of health effects caused by climate change under different socioeconomic scenarios.
  

The full program can be found here.

The policy conference can be watched here: