Effects of Climate Change on Human Health and Thermal Comfort Conditions and Adaptation

Dear Colleagues,

Thermal sensation involves regulating heat exchange between the body and the environment, thus it is affected by the external temperature. Exposure to extreme heat increases heat stress and the mortality risk, especially in vulnerable groups. The effects of exposure to heat are projected to become more intense over time unless ambitious mitigation and adaptation measures are taken.

To ameliorate the adverse effects of climate change, we must expand our  knowledge of the challenges that concern human thermal comfort and health in outdoor environments. Therefore, we are pleased to announce the Special Issue on ‘Effects of Climate Change on Human Health and Thermal Comfort Conditions and Adaptation’, the objectives of which are two-fold: The first objective is to enhance our scientific understanding of the effects of the thermal environment on human health and thermal comfort conditions in the urban environment. The second objective is to provide science-based knowledge, new approaches, and solutions regarding the various adaptation and mitigation strategies for the amelioration of the adverse consequences of climate change.

We encourage authors to contribute their original research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and model studies on this topic. Research on future projections for human thermal stress and mortality risk-based climate models and warming scenarios are highly encouraged.  Additionally, examples of best practices, heat mitigation strategies, and technologies for the amelioration of human thermal comfort will be very important.

In particular, the following topics are of great interest:

• Microclimatic monitoring and field surveys on human thermal conditions in outdoor open areas;
• Evaluation of mitigation and adaptation strategies in the urban environment;
• Environmental modeling and simulations to address the adverse effects of the thermal conditions in the urban environment;
• Use of regional climate models for the future projections of temperature-dependent health risk under climate change scenarios;
• Heat-related stress associated with non-optimal temperatures.

Dr. Areti Tseliou
Dr. Efthimios Zervas
Dr. Zoe Gareiou
Guest Editors

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