Europe is getting warmer and heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense, prompting the European Union to fund research projects designed to improve local forecasting, reduce health risks and help communities adapt.
The EU-backed work includes tools that map heat exposure at neighbourhood level, early-warning systems for floods and forest fires, and trials of measures to protect vulnerable groups during extreme heat, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) said in a release.
One project, HealthRiskADAPT, is developing ways for cities and regions to prepare for higher temperatures by mapping heat at a very local scale, linking it to health risks such as illness and mortality, and providing early-warning and planning tools.
In Bulgaria, the MountResilience project has created a platform that combines observational tools with an artificial intelligence prediction algorithm to issue early warnings for floods, forest fires and other extreme weather.
Project partners have also installed forest-fire detection equipment including a thermal vision camera that can detect heat before smoke becomes visible.
In Finland, the AURORA project is modelling “urban heat islands” — areas that become hotter than their surroundings because of buildings and paved surfaces — and integrating the results into a climate-health decision-support system.
In Tampere, a machine-learning model produces 1 km-resolution maps that feed into a heat-stroke risk tool designed to identify neighbourhoods most at risk.
Planning for heat in cities and protecting health
Other EU-funded projects are supporting local authorities to develop adaptation plans and test measures in cities including Barcelona, Paris and Prague, CINEA said.
Impetus4Change and MULTICLIMACT are testing approaches intended to reduce heat stress and inform decisions such as urban planning and home retrofitting policies.
NEVERMORE is working with regional authorities on tools to assess climate risks and plan adaptation strategies, with case studies including drought and water scarcity in Murcia, Spain, and combined heat and drought impacts in Sitia, Greece.
Research also includes work on infrastructure and ecosystems. The MIRACA project is examining how transport networks in Spain can adapt to combined heatwaves, droughts and wildfires, while Trees4Adapt is exploring post-fire recovery in Portugal and how restoring forest ecosystems can improve resilience to future heat and wildfire events.
Several projects are also testing “nature-based solutions” such as reforestation and soil restoration to reduce the combined risks of drought and wildfires, including DRYAD, MED-IREN and DesirMED.
On public health, ISMED-CLIM is testing tools in Mediterranean countries such as early-warning systems, personalised advice and healthcare emergency plans for vulnerable groups, including outdoor workers and pregnant women.
In Austria’s Tirol region, the MOUNTADAPT project is studying how heatwaves affect health and how local health services can prepare, using data and artificial intelligence to examine links to mental health problems and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
The EU invested a further €30 million last year in projects focused on helping cities adapt to extreme heat and protect health and wellbeing, with three new projects — CLIMACARE, EUROASIS and PROTECT — expected to start putting ideas into practice.
