Governing heatwaves in Europe: comparing health policy and practices to better understand roles, responsibilities and collaboration

Coupling heat wave and wildfire occurrence across multiple ecoregions within a Eurasia longitudinal gradient

Understanding the relationship between heat wave occurrence and wildfire spread represents a key priority in global change studies due to the significant threats posed on natural ecosystems and society. Previous studies have not explored the spatial and temporal mechanism underlying the relationship between heat waves and wildfires occurrence, especially over large geographical regions. This study seeks to investigate such a relationship with a focus on 37 ecoregions within a Eurasia longitudinal gradient. The analysis is based on the wildfire dataset provided by the GlobFire Final Fire Event Detection and the meteorological dataset ERA5-land from Copernicus Climate service. In both cases we focused on the 2001-2019 timeframe. By means of a 12 km square grid, three wildfire metrics, i.e., density, seasonality, and severity of wildfires, were computed as proxy of fire regime. Heat waves were also characterized in terms of periods, duration, and intensity for the same period. Statistical tests were performed to evaluate the different patterns of heat wave and wildfire occurrence in the 37 ecoregions within the study area. By using Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) we modeled the spatial varying relationships between heat wave characteristics and wildfire metrics. As expected, our results suggest that the 37 ecoregions identified within the Eurasia longitudinal gradient differ in terms of fire regimes. However, the occurrence of heat waves did not show significant differences among ecoregions, but a more evident variability in terms of relationship between fire regime metrics and heat waves within the study area. The outcome of the GWR analysis allowed us to identify the spatial locations (i.e., hotspot areas) where the relationship between heat waves and wildfires is positive and significant. Hence, in hotspots the presence of heat waves can be seen as a driver of wildfire occurrence in forest and steppe ecosystems. The findings from this study could contribute to a more comprehensive assessment of wildfire patterns in this geographical region, thus supporting cross-regional prevention strategies for disaster risk mitigation.

Heat-health action planning in the WHO European Region: Status and policy implications

Adverse health effects from extreme heat remain a major risk, especially in a changing climate. Several European countries have implemented heat health action plans (HHAPs) to prevent ill health and excess mortality from heat. This paper assesses the state of implementation of HHAPs in the WHO European Region and discusses barriers and successes since the early 2000s. The results are based on a web-based survey among 53 member states on the current national and federal HHAPs in place. Guided by the eight core elements of HHAPs as outlined by the WHO Regional Office for Europe guidance from 2008, we analyzed which elements were fully or partially implemented and which areas of improvement countries identified. HHAP adaptations to account for COVID-19 were sought via literature search and expert consultations. 27 member states provided information, of which 17 countries reported having a HHAP. Five out of eight core elements, namely agreement on a lead body, accurate and timely alert systems, heat-related health information plans, strategies to reduce health exposure, and care for vulnerable groups, were at least partially implemented in all 17 plans. Alert systems were implemented most often at 94%. The least often implemented items were real-time surveillance, long-term urban planning, and preparedness of health and social systems. Five countries had published COVID-19 guidance online. Our findings suggest a progressive improvement in the development and rollout of HHAPs overall and awareness of vulnerable population groups in WHO/Europe, while integration of HHAPs into long-term climate change and health planning remains a challenge.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Military Personnel Regarding Heat-Related Illness Risk Factors: Results of a Chinese Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Military personnel are widely exposed to risk factors for heat-related illnesses. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) are three of the most important means by which to prevent such illnesses, but there has been a lack of investigations into and correlation analyses of KAP. This study aimed to explore the heat-related KAP of military personnel in China. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study (June 1-25, 2019). A total of 646 military personnel were recruited from two Chinese Navy troops in the tropical zone and one troop in the temperate zone. We collected data on demographic characteristics and KAP scores using questionnaires. Univariate analysis and Scheffe's method were used for data analyses. Results: The mean KAP scores were 10.37 (range = 3-13, standard deviation = 1.63) for knowledge (K-score), 7.76 (range = 0-16, SD = 2.65) for attitudes (A-score), and 3.80 (range = 1-6, SD = 1.12) for practices (P-score). There were noticeable differences in mean K-score according to age, military rank, and educational level (P < 0.05). Participants from the tropical zone had higher A-scores (P < 0.05) and higher P-scores (P < 0.001) than those from the temperate zone. Additionally, participants with relevant experience also had higher A-scores (P < 0.05) than those without such experience. Conclusions: Military personnel's awareness of preventive and first-aid measures against heat-related illnesses need to be strengthened. It will be very important to develop educational programmes and enrich systematic educational resources to raise this awareness.