EXHAUSTION White Paper - Exposure to heat and air pollution in Europe

The effects of heatwaves, air pollution and a changing climate lead to increased death and disease in Europe. The EU-funded EXHAUSTION project has sought to quantify shifts in heart and lung disease due to extreme heat and air pollution and identify adaptation strategies. As part of the legacy of the project, a White Paper has been developed, including five stand-alone chapters that reflect a selection of important findings and results from the project related to disease due to extreme heat and air pollution. The paper includes key research and policy recommendations for each of the five chapters, which focus on:

• the interactive effect of heat and air pollution and vulnerable groups
• mitigation of ozone and particulate matter pollution
• air pollution from wildfire smoke
• temperature-related mortality
• adaptation and mitigation to reduce socio-economic costs