Human Health, Climate Change, and Ambient Air Pollution

Dear Colleagues,

Improvements in human health and environmental data quality and applications of innovative methods have boosted environmental health research in recent years, including studies based on granular data that often provide a better understanding of the extent of exposure to environmental pollution on human health. A prime example is our current knowledge of the effects of long-term exposure to air pollution on the incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

The developments in data and methods have also allowed investigating the health and economic effects of climate change and policies designed to address them. For example, the challenges imposed by climate change have inspired countries worldwide to announce their aspiration for achieving net zero emissions. Such efforts and pathways that reduce different sectors of society’s greenhouse gas emissions can have tangible impacts on improving air quality. On the other hand, we expect increased natural hazards caused by climate change that could reduce air quality with notable health impacts, including more frequent and severe dust storms and wildfires.

The focus of environmental health research has mostly been on high-income and few middle-income countries, while the populations of low-income countries are sometimes exposed to much greater concentrations of air pollutants. However, we see an increasing availability of air pollution-related data from low-income countries that allow us to examine the health effects of usually more adverse environmental conditions in these regions. Another understudied aspect of air pollution on public health is lost labor productivity and economic cost. Air pollution’s health and economic impacts vary significantly across socioeconomic lines, and the more disadvantaged sub-populations suffer more. 

We welcome any original research that relies on using high-resolution environmental data and individual-level health information for this special issue. Review papers that could connect different ideas and offer new perspectives and findings with respect to human health, climate change, and ambient air pollution are also considered. Advanced research design methods―especially taking advantage of natural/quasi-experiments forged by policy and regulation changes―are encouraged. A suitable example of a currently ongoing quasi-experiment is the COVID-19 pandemic that has substantially impacted human mobility levels hence the traffic-originated air pollution. When possible, authors are also recommended to expand their work from a specific health outcome (e.g., cardiovascular disease) to broader health measures such as indicators of the burden of diseases and economic effects.

Dr. Seyed M. Karimi
Prof. Dr. Bert Little
Prof. Dr. Mahdi Majbouri
Dr. Hamid Pouran
Guest Editors

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