Combined impact of heat and air pollution exposure on human health in India: Evidence and solutions

COPE

Call

  • CEH2

Project Website

https://cicero.oslo.no/en/projects/cope

Principal Investigator

Kristin Aunan, Sourangsu Chowdhury (both CICERO Center for International Climate Research, Norway)

Partners

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD, India), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM, India), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM, UK), National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR, USA), Environment Conservation Society SwitchOn (national non-governmental organization) (SwitchON, India), University of Queensland (UQ, Australia), Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre (international NGO) (Climate Centre, Netherlands).

Funders

  • Future Earth, NSF (National Science Foundation), RCN (Research Council of Norway), UKRI (UK Research and Innovation)

Project Objective

COPE aims to develop advanced Early Warning and Decision-support Systems (EWDS) for heat and air pollution exposure in the urban conglomerates of Delhi and Kolkata, India. The project, co-designed with vulnerable communities, healthcare providers, and governance stakeholders, will combine climate models, health surveys, and hospital data to identify health risk hotspots and create projections for future climate scenarios. As heat and air pollution exposure in South Asia is projected to increase significantly by 2050, COPE will provide tailored response strategies and adaptive measures, improving upon existing generic recommendations. The project involves a multidisciplinary team from India, Norway, the USA, the UK, and Australia, alongside key Indian governmental agencies, to ensure effective implementation and scalability of the EWDS systems.

Call Objective

This CRA focused on the nexus of Climate, Environment, and Health to address an unmet need to promote, mobilize, and establish an inclusive, transdisciplinary funding scheme, through the preservation and celebration of diverse communities, research topics, ecosystems, and creative transformative solutions. One goal for this CRA is to create a comprehensive culture shift through education, research, service, and advocacy to inspire a world where all animals and humans can thrive — through the integration of human medicine, veterinary medicine, and environmental science — and by adapting and protecting Earth’s natural systems for generations to come. Projects address at least one of the three call themes: 1) Decision-science of environmental behavior and implementation, 2) Food, Environment, and Biological Security, 3) Climate Risks to Ecosystems & Populations.

Region

  • Asia

Country

  • India

Duration

4 years

Call Date

May 2023

Project Award Date

January 2025