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European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
Project

EXHAUSTION

Exposure to heat and air pollution in Europe. Cardiopulmonary impacts and benefits of mitigation and adaptation

Plants and smoke.2
Shutterstock: 1914964993

Accelerated warming increases the likelihood of heat waves and wildfires. Both are deadly. While extreme heat increases death and disease rates from cardiopulmonary disease (CPD), wildfires cause severe air pollution.

Based on the most updated and advanced climate modelling efforts, EXHAUSTION develops exposure projections.

This EU-funded project draws on a time-series database in a multi-country observational study and rich cohort data bases to investigate the relation between heat, air pollution and CPD.

The aim is to identify how a range of vulnerability factors may affect the probabilities for CPD arising from extreme heat and wildfires, and develop advanced adaptation strategies. The latter will help avoid premature death and disease among vulnerable groups, like older people, infants, the chronically ill and disadvantaged people.

The consequences of the CPD burden for the European economies and the benefits of adaptation will be estimated.

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