- Location: Ireland
- Institution: Atlantic Technological University, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork
- Status: Active
- Type: Independent
- Theme: Enabling Fair Transformations
- Timeframe: 2024 - 2029
Share on social
Climate change is not only an environmental challenge—it is a growing public health issue. Extreme weather events such as heatwaves, storms, floods and droughts can have immediate and sometimes devastating impacts on people’s health and wellbeing.
However, the health effects of climate change extend far beyond these events. Over time, shifting environmental conditions are expected to influence the spread of infectious diseases, disrupt food systems, reduce water quality and exacerbate air pollution in urban areas. These impacts will not be experienced equally, making it essential to understand who is most vulnerable and why.
The Environmental Change and Health Outcomes (ECHO) project seeks to build a comprehensive picture of how climate change has affected, is affecting, and will continue to affect human health. By identifying risks and vulnerabilities, the project will support more informed planning, targeted interventions and evidence-based decision-making to protect public health in a changing climate.
Project Goals
-
Synthesise current evidence on the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on human health, providing a clear and up-to-date overview of risks.
-
Develop a national database tracking climate-related health risks across Ireland, including sources of harm such as infectious diseases and air pollution, exposure pathways through air, water and land, and the communities most affected. The database will cover both urban and rural areas and be regularly updated as new data emerges.
-
Analyse impacts on health by assessing how extreme weather events and long-term climate trends are affecting populations across Ireland. Advanced statistical methods will be used to identify high-risk regions, time periods and vulnerable groups.
-
Forecast future risks by modelling how climate scenarios and extreme weather are likely to shape public health in the years ahead, in partnership with Met Éireann. This analysis will account for changes in land use, urban development and population dynamics, and will be visualised through an interactive HealthScape tool designed for broad accessibility.
-
Translate evidence into action by producing clear, evidence-based recommendations to inform environmental and public health policy.
Institutions
