When: 15 November 2023 from 08.30 am to 14.00 pm (CET), including networking lunch.

Address: Norway House, Rue Archimède 17, Brussels

Please register your online or onsite attendance here.

EXHAUSTION represent a European consortium of researchers working within the climate change and health nexus, in a multidisciplinary EU-project funded within Horizon 2020, with 14 research partners from 10 different countries. The project is called EXHAUSTION - Exposure to heat and air pollution in Europe, cardiopulmonary impacts and benefits of mitigation and adaptation.

EXHAUSTION’s ambition is to substantially advance knowledge and develop new evidence regarding the links and correlated impacts between climate change, extreme heat, air pollution, and human health in Europe, specifically cardiopulmonary diseases.

In the first part of the program we will present the latest cutting-edge results on warming and air pollution developments in Europe (incl. from wildfires) and health effects of interaction between heat and air pollution.

The second part of the program will be focusing on the current and projected temperature-related health burden in Europe and socio-economic costs of climate change and benefits of climate action.

We invite experts within the field from research, policy making, relevant sector interests and civil society, to participate in an interactive forum to discuss up-to-date information and propose next steps for potential integration in policies, and implementation of adaptation and health protection measures.

We hope this is of interest to you. Please register your online or onsite attendance here.

Outline of program with confirmed speakers (updated 29 October):

08:30 – 09.00 Coffee & registration

Moderated by Sonja van Renssen, Editor-in-Chief, Energy Monitor

09.00 Welcome and introduction to the topic

• Elina Bardram, Director, DG Climate Action, European Commission

• Francois Wakenhut, Head of Unit, Clean Air & Urban Policy, DG Environment, European Commission

• Kristin Aunan, Research director at CICERO Center for international climate research & project leader 
  
  09.25: 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

• Comments from relevant organisations and Horizon-projects:

  • Zorana Jovanovic Andersen, European Respiratory Society and University of Copenhagen

  • Annette Peters, Director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Munich & the Horizon project EXPANSE

  • Joan Ballester, Horizon project CATALYSE and ISGlobal

  10.20 Discussion on recommendations with participants

  10.45 - 11.15: Coffee break

  11.15: 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

• María Neira, Director Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, WHO

  
  12.10: Panel discussion with stakeholders, decision-makers and experts – Recommendations for implementation.

• Javi López, MEP, European Parliament, rapporteur on the revision of the Ambient Air Quality Directives

• Klea Katsouyanni, Professor, University of Athens

• Anne Stauffer, Deputy director Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL)

• Reflections on input from the conference, research gaps and opportunities for implementation of policy measures.

  • Reflections on how input from the EXHAUSTION policy conference can inform EU climate adaptation policy and action. Peter Löffler, Policy officer DG Climate Action, European Commission

  • Francesca Ligi, Red cross EU Office.

12.55: Closure of policy conference

13.00 – 14:00: Networking lunch including poster sessions