Climate, Air Quality, and Health Inequities in Europe: Evidence-Based Policy Implications

Climate change and air pollution are interrelated challenges with profound implications for public health, equity, and resilience in Europe. This study investigates relationships between climate, air quality, and health across European countries (2005-2020) as part of the DataNord/Healthy Planet project. Using reanalysis, remote sensing, and observed datasets (ERA5-Land, MERRA-2, Sentinel-5P, MODIS, OMI, EDGAR v6, EEA health assessments), we employed machine learning and statistical analysis to identify significant warming trends (temperature anomaly: +0.90°C), regional variability in precipitation (e.g., Cyprus: -28% to +15%) and other variables. Air quality improvements varied regionally, e.g., NO₂ and PM_2.5 concentrations decreased >50% in Sweden, while NO₂ increased in Cyprus (+17%) and O₃ in Belgium (+21%), reflecting differences in policy effectiveness and local conditions. Context-specific correlations between climate and pollution (-0.86 to 0.79) reflected local variations in meteorological and emission factors. Health assessments revealed substantial reductions in premature mortality, especially from PM_2.5 (Estonia: -93%) and NO₂ (Germany: -53%, Spain: -58%). Our findings emphasize the need for integrated climate-air quality policies targeting regional challenges. We recommend implementing region-specific emission reduction targets based on local vulnerability indices, supported by enhanced monitoring networks and targeted interventions in areas showing slower progress.