Air quality and climate are two significant environmental factors that are closely associated with human health. According to the estimates by Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019, air pollution and non-optimum temperatures contributed to more than 6.67 and 1.95 million premature deaths worldwide, ranking 4th and 11th respectively among all risk factors. In the context of global climate change, the severity of extreme weather events and air pollution episodes are projected to be significantly enhanced in the coming decades. Existing investigations have independently linked air pollution or climatic stressors with excess morbidity and mortality due to non-accidental causes (e.g., cardiorespiratory diseases), while the synergistic or combined health effects are not well documented to date. Also, population-based evidence is still of great lack on outcomes including human fertility, mental health, and infectious diseases. In terms of particulate air pollution, the potentially differential health effects due to various sources and specific constituents remain largely unclear, particularly in low- and middle-income countries/regions.
In this Research Topic of “Air Quality, Climate and Public Health”, we aim to present a collection of original articles or reviews on a variety of health outcomes associated with both air quality (e.g., outdoor and indoor) and climate conditions. We also welcome high spatiotemporal resolution exposure assessment on air pollution and climatic conditions at regional or global scale. Topics to be covered include but are not limited to the following:
• Assessment of health risk and disease burden associated with exposure to indoor or outdoor air pollution;
• Health risk and disease burden due to non-optimal climatic conditions (e.g., temperature extremes);
• Combined effects of air pollution and climatic conditions on human health;
• Projection of health risks and disease burden due to air pollution and extreme weather under climate change and population aging scenarios;
• Novel methods (e.g., big data and machine-learning based technique) for exposure assessment on air pollution and climatic stressors;
• Health benefits of mitigation and adaptation to air pollution and extreme weather;
Air quality and climate are two significant environmental factors that are closely associated with human health. According to the estimates by Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019, air pollution and non-optimum temperatures contributed to more than 6.67 and 1.95 million premature deaths worldwide, ranking 4th and 11th respectively among all risk factors. In the context of global climate change, the severity of extreme weather events and air pollution episodes are projected to be significantly enhanced in the coming decades. Existing investigations have independently linked air pollution or climatic stressors with excess morbidity and mortality due to non-accidental causes (e.g., cardiorespiratory diseases), while the synergistic or combined health effects are not well documented to date. Also, population-based evidence is still of great lack on outcomes including human fertility, mental health, and infectious diseases. In terms of particulate air pollution, the potentially differential health effects due to various sources and specific constituents remain largely unclear, particularly in low- and middle-income countries/regions.
In this Research Topic of “Air Quality, Climate and Public Health”, we aim to present a collection of original articles or reviews on a variety of health outcomes associated with both air quality (e.g., outdoor and indoor) and climate conditions. We also welcome high spatiotemporal resolution exposure assessment on air pollution and climatic conditions at regional or global scale. Topics to be covered include but are not limited to the following:
• Assessment of health risk and disease burden associated with exposure to indoor or outdoor air pollution;
• Health risk and disease burden due to non-optimal climatic conditions (e.g., temperature extremes);
• Combined effects of air pollution and climatic conditions on human health;
• Projection of health risks and disease burden due to air pollution and extreme weather under climate change and population aging scenarios;
• Novel methods (e.g., big data and machine-learning based technique) for exposure assessment on air pollution and climatic stressors;
• Health benefits of mitigation and adaptation to air pollution and extreme weather;