Pollution and Rising Environmental Drivers of Illness under Climate Threats in Asia (PREDICT-ASIA)

Air pollution and extreme heat pose escalating health risks in Asia, especially in densely populated Southeast Asia, yet their synergistic effects remain unclear. Emerging evidence indicates that co-exposure to multiple pollutants (e.g., PM2.5, O3, NO2) and heat amplifies cardiovascular/respiratory morbidity and mortality, but region-specific data are lacking. We propose a new program—Pollution and Rising Environmental Drivers of Illness under Climate Threats in Asia (PREDICT-ASIA)—to investigate the individual and combined health impacts through two integrated work packages: WP1 will employ multi-city epidemiological analyses (Singapore, Chiang Mai, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei and Hong Kong) to quantify exposure-response relationships, identify risk thresholds, and project future burdens under climate change using national health records and climate models, while WP2 will conduct a biomarker-based panel study on outdoor workers across the five cities to unravel biological mechanisms (e.g., inflammation, oxidative stress) underlying acute and synergistic effects. By integrating big data, advanced modeling, and clinical biomarkers, PREDICT-ASIA will deliver region-specific risk thresholds, mechanistic insights, and policy-ready frameworks to guide public health interventions. This interdisciplinary initiative, leveraging a regional consortium of climate and health experts, aims to equip policymakers with evidence to mitigate compound climate-air pollution threats, ultimately reducing health disparities in Asia’s most vulnerable populations.