Climate Change, Air Pollution, and Human Health

Dear Colleagues,

Exposure to airborne toxicants from various sources in the environment has been reported to have negative impacts on human health, increasing morbidity and mortality. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 90% of the population in the world lives in highly polluted environments which exceeded the values for ambient air quality in WHO guidelines. In 2019, air pollution was responsible for more than 6 million deaths worldwide, and evidence is mounting that air pollution can cause harm at much lower levels than previously thought. In 2021, the WHO air quality guidelines (AQG) published new levels and interim targets for common air pollutants including particulate matter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), PM <10 µm (PM10), ozone (O₃), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and carbon monoxide (CO).

Climate change might also affect human health by making our air less healthy to breathe. Higher temperatures lead to an increase in allergens and harmful air pollutants. Higher temperatures associated with climate change can also lead to an increase in O₃, a harmful air pollutant. However, the interactions between climate change and air quality as well as the consequent health outcomes remain unclear. More scientific evidence is still required to develop policies for the depletion and prevention of climate-related environmental hazards to human health.

Every new piece of information matters for scientific progress, pollution/exposure assessment, policymaking, and public health protection. As a result, the objective of this Special Issue is to serve as a forum for advancing scientific understanding on environmental changes, air quality model development and its application for complex interactions among climate change, air pollution, and health effects. We accept exceptional merit research covering one or more of, but not limited to, the following topics:

•    Climate change and air pollutants;
•    Exposure assessment;
•    Risk assessment;
•    Epidemiology;
•    Environmental monitoring and modeling;
•    Aerosol science and chemistry;
•    Toxicology;
•    Human health.

Dr. Hsiao-Chi Chuang
Prof. Dr. Yongming Han
Dr. Didik Setyo Heriyanto
Prof. Dr. Kin-Fai Ho
Topic Editors