Climate change
More research into the health effects of climate change
Climate change and climate measures exert effects on health. The urgency for research into these effects is therefore considerable. ZonMw commissioned Maastricht University, Wageningen University & Research and the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) to draw up a Climate and Health knowledge agenda (in Dutch) identifying the main gaps in the knowledge. Our Climate and Health programme is designed to develop and provide access to the required knowledge.
View the Dutch interactive infographic on the health effects of climate change
Heat stress
Heat stress is one of the visible effects of climate change on health. Heat stress refers to the discomforts that arise during a period of persistently high temperatures. Which discomforts these are, and at which temperature these arise, differs per person. The health effects of heat stress can be physical, but also mental.
Even though we know that heat stress has health consequences, health still receives too little attention in addressing climate change. Below are a number of examples of ZonMw-funded research projects on heat stress.
Warmly Recommended
The Warmly Recommended project (Dutch) is studying temperature-related health impacts, with a particular focus on behaviour and vulnerable groups. It turns out the elderly people’s body temperature rises more quickly than the customary models predict. Heat also has different effects on men and women, project lead Hein Daanen explained in a Dutch interview.
Socially-Aware and Climate-Conscious in Hardenberg
What measures and interventions are most effective at protecting local residents from heat stress? The Socially-Aware and Climate-Conscious in Hardenberg project (Dutch) aims to find out. The measures and interventions will be implemented immediately in public spaces.
Fair Urban Heat
The Fair Urban Heat project (Dutch) is a practical study exploring the relationship between heat stress, the living environment and justice. The researchers aim to discover how heat stress in urban areas is distributed among population groups and neighbourhoods. They are also studying which policy measures and socio-spatial interventions can help ensure a ‘fair’ distribution of the impacts among different groups and throughout the urban area.
Skin cancer and heat stress prevention in municipalities
Using practically-oriented knowledge of effective measures in outdoor spaces, this project is getting to grips with the prevention of skin cancer and heat stress (Dutch). Since children are more senisitive to heat, the researchers are focusing on publicly accessible play, sport and exercise facilities.
Heat stress in the context of environmental justice
The Heat stress in the context of environmental justice project is joining forces with residents of vulnerable neighbourhoods to identify what knowledge and support are needed to cope with heat. The researchers are also taking heat measurements in residents’ homes during heatwaves. Their findings will be translated into recommendations for professionals and local authorities to enable them to support vulnerable residents more effectively on matters related to the climate crisis.
Neighbourhood Heat Strategy LivingLab
In Rotterdam, 3 neighbourhoods are acting as Neighbourhood Heat Strategy LivingLabs (Dutch), with the aim of developing a local strategy to make the neighbourhood more resilient during hot periods. The strategy can then be applied in other neighbourhoods and local authority areas.
Allergies
Higher temperatures cause some plants and trees to flower earlier, bringing the start of the hay fever season forward. The overall quantity of pollen can also increase. Furthermore, the allergenicity of pollen can increase, and due to a changing climate, we are being confronted with other types of pollen.
ZonMw funded a project that aimed to make the effects of climate change on allergies more manageable (Dutch). The project mapped pollen concentrations and the related disease burden, and developed predictive models. The research group also developed a Tree Compass that clearly presents information on the allergenicity of trees, as a guide for practitioners. Project lead Letty de Weger told us about the importance of diverse planting schemes for hay fever sufferers (Dutch).
Sustainable Healthcare: Impact of healthcare on climate
The project on sustainable healthcare is charting the climate and environmental impact (CO2 emissions and waste production) of individual hospitals (Dutch), focusing on specific, common, individual healthcare processes for patients in the accident and emergency, surgery and intensive care departments. Project lead Hugo Touw told us about potential action that can increase the sustainability of healthcare processes in these departments (Dutch).
The effect of climate change in urban and rural areas
Climate change in urban areas
In urban areas, the influence of climate change on health is gradually increasing. There is heat stress and the water quality and plant diversity are changing. Blue (lakes, canals, ponds) and green (trees and shrubs) infrastructure can contribute to reducing heat stress and the warming up of the urban environment.
The project BluE and greeN Infrastructure desiGned to beat the urbaN heat (BENIGN) investigates how blue and green infrastructure can be optimally used to create healthy living conditions in urban environments. With living in 3 municipalities, they are developing a decision support system. This can be used by municipalities to weigh up the balance between green and blue interventions to create a healthier living environment.
Climate change in rural areas
There is too little attention for the health effects of climate change in rural areas. This limits the impact of measures to combat climate change and its effects.
The project CliMate AdaptatioN for HealThy Rural Areas (MANTRA) integrates solutions to climate change to tackle health risks and other challenges for local communities. The aim is to realise win-win solutions for climate change, health and other rural development issues through 3 rural labs. This concerns well-considered solutions that can be genuinely implemented.
KIN
Dutch Climate Research Initiative (KIN) is a body that is part of the Dutch Research Council (NWO), and was set up in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). KIN was established in response to the urgent need to make our society climate-neutral and climate-resilient, to protect the wellbeing of people and planet. KIN encourages collaboration between scientists and social actors, with the aim of accelerating climate transitions. ZonMw participates in KIN, with a specific focus on health.
‘ACT’ working programme
Recently, KIN launched its “Accelerating Just Climate Transition in Urban Regions” (ACT) working programme, the goal of which is to expedite just climate transitions in urban areas. The programme is being implemented in several neighbourhoods of Rotterdam, Nijmegen, Eindhoven and Maastricht, to make them climate-neutral and climate-resilient.
Healthy living environment
Climate change is one of the themes within the ZonMw-wide societal issue Healthy living environment. The living environment can make a positive contribution to health by protecting people against risks such as climate effects, infectious diseases and environmental pollution. Promoting healthy behaviour, such as sufficient exercise and a balanced diet, play a role in this as well.
Considering health effects in policy
ZonMw provides insight into the health effects of both climate change and climate measures. This is an example of the Health in All Policies approach, which seeks to achieve health benefits through policies outside the field of healthcare. The major social challenges we face on issues like mobility, housing and energy provide good opportunities to contribute to better health at the same time. This broad-based approach is thus also associated with the One Health and Planetary Health approach.
