Launch of project developing a healthy response to heat and pollen in a changing climate (GoHot)

In June 2023, which saw record high temperatures, there were almost 900 excess deaths in the Netherlands. The heat was accompanied by exceptionally high grass pollen counts and poor air quality. This unhealthy mix might have been a factor in the extra high mortality seen that month. It was not only the Netherlands that experienced health problems. In 2023 extreme heat cost the lives of an estimated 47,000 Europeans. As climate change progresses, such health risks will probably increase even further. 

Much remains uncertain about what situations are the most dangerous and who is most at risk of illness or death, both now and in the future. Nor is it clear who should undertake what action, and how to prevent the solution to one problem from making another one worse. Recommendations on preventing heat stress, such as ventilation, can for example increase exposure to pollen and poor-quality air. 

Over the next 19 months a consortium of 16 organisations will catalogue existing knowledge concerning health risks associated with exposure to heat, pollen, air pollutions and combinations of these factors. The study, known as GoHot, an acronym of the Dutch for ‘healthy response to heat and pollen in a changing climate’, has been awarded a ZonMw grant of € 800,000 for the purpose.

The study will analyse existing data on mortality, hospital admissions, use of medication, pollen concentrations and environmental factors using new techniques. This should reveal which groups in society run increased risk of illness or death at certain exposures to heat, pollen, air pollution or combinations of these factors. There will also be a special focus on young children.

How can you prevent risks to health? What works and what doesn’t? A literature review and experiments should make clear how effective different methods of cooling are. This includes cooling your feet in cold water, wearing thin, airy clothes, eating ice cream, and also using air conditioning or planting trees. 

Or is it better to invest in getting fitter in order to cope better with the heat? And what is the effect of opening windows to ventilate? If the windows are open, indoor pollen levels can rise, so the effect of open or closed windows on indoor pollen counts will be tested. 

Even if we know who is at risk when, and where, and what can be done about it, this does not necessarily mean that people and organisations will adapt their behaviour or practices. The study will attempt to pinpoint clearly which factors determine whether people change their behaviour. A substantial portion of the study will then focus on how organisations like municipal health services, the Red Cross, knowledge institutions and authorities can clearly and effectively communicate with people at risk and those around them. The GoHot consortium will bring together a large number of organisations with different roles to apply new insights immediately, in order to achieve the greatest possible impact.

The GoHot consortium will provide a follow-up to the first ZonMw programme on Climate and Health. Researchers from the consortium are also involved in other relevant projects as part of NWO’s National Science Agenda (NWA) programme. BluE and greeN Infrastructure desiGned to beat the urbaN heat (BENIGN), for example, is examining how blue (water) and green (vegetation) infrastructure can best be used in an urban environment. The CliMate AdaptatioN for HealThy Rural Areas (MANTRA) project is looking at climate change solutions in conjunction with risks to health and other challenges for local communities in rural areas. The project will also tie in with the European LIFE IP on Climate Adaptation, a Dutch project co-funded by the European Union. The National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), which coordinates the national heat response plan, is also involved. 

• Read articles about projects on heat (Warmly recommended), pollen (KAPPA) and sustainable healthcare from the first ZonMw Climate and Health programme.
• ZonMw is funding more and more research on the effects of climate change on human health.