Air pollution, heat and health in Brazil under climate change

Rapid urbanisation in Brazil has resulted in environmental degradation, poor air quality and urban heat island effects. Climate change will further increase overall temperatures with heat waves burning hotter, lasting longer and occurring more often. 

Our interdisciplinary team will estimate air pollution (measured by fine particulate matter and ozone), heat waves and days of high or low temperatures under future climate change for two major Brazilian cities. We will also estimate how weather and air pollution will affect mortality in the country. We will use these estimates to calculate the health effects of climate change for air pollution and weather, considering sensitive subpopulations. We will also analyse the health co-benefits of short-term improvements in air quality under climate change policies. 

Our work will develop tools, data sources and other resources to support climate change and health research; assess health co-benefits of actions to mitigate climate change; and assess how actions to adapt to climate change have an impact on health.