Today, the world faces unprecedented environmental challenges. In many parts of Europe, heatwaves, flooding, and extreme weather are becoming more frequent, while disease outbreaks linked to climate change are on the rise. For instance, the spread of vector-borne diseases such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus is influenced by rising temperatures, while air pollution and extreme heat are causing spikes in respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.

In the EU Boreal region, where cities are increasingly vulnerable to these changes, the need for a proactive approach to public health is critical. AURORA addresses this real-life need by forecasting the health impacts of climate change and offering actionable insights to prevent or mitigate these impacts.

A European consortium of experts with vast experience in climate research, public health, and city planning began work in autumn 2024 to deliver transformative AI-driven solutions that help cities build climate resilience and improve public health outcomes.

Project's AURORA overarching mission is to closely monitor and model the interconnected impacts of climate change and health-related risk factors. This will enable the project to provide early warnings, forecast climate hazards and recommend tailored mitigation strategies, to support policymaking, and build public health resilience.

Without tools like those developed by AURORA, we risk facing public health crises that could overwhelm our systems, disrupt economies, and cause widespread suffering. With AURORA, we have the chance to stay ahead of the curve by preparing for the health challenges climate change brings, ensuring that communities are resilient and capable of adapting to these new threats.

AURORA will tailor solutions for real-world applications by demonstrating them in five “Demo” cities: Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, Tampere, and Pori. Three “Replicant” cities—Klaipėda, Joniškis, and Jūrmala —will join the efforts to replicate successful models.

The 26-member consortium is led by EXUS AI LABS, an innovative technology company specializing in AI solutions, along with partners from 11 different EU countries (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Romania, Greece, Cyprus, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland) that bring expertise from epidemiology, climate science, health sciences, public sector and social research. Its structure is based on excellence, complementarity, transnationality, and multi-disciplinarily, including all the value chain actors of the network across the EU.

All project updates, events, and outputs could be followed through the official website: www.auroraclima.eu

The project is funded by the European Union (AURORA under the Grant Agreement n° 101157643).