SoluTions foR mItiGatinG climate-induced hEalth tReaths

Project Information

TRIGGER

Grant agreement ID: 101057739

DOI

10.3030/101057739

EC signature date 23 May 2022

Start date 1 September 2022

End date 28 February 2027

Funded under

• Health

Total cost

€ 9 996 777,00

EU contribution

€ 9 996 777,00

Coordinated by

ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - TRIGGER (SoluTions foR mItiGatinG climate-induced hEalth tReaths)

Reporting period: 2024-03-01 to 2025-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The objective and ambition of TRIGGER are to deepen current understanding of the complex linkage between climate (namely meteorological and climatic conditions), human health and ecosystems (exposome framework) and to use this knowledge in practice to advance society up-take at both personal and policy levels. To prove on scientific ground the improvement in understanding of the potential pathologies and diseases (including the extent of those in vulnerable populations and across society) that may occur in response to a changing climate, TRIGGER identifies a set of demonstration Labs, the Climate Health Connection Labs (CHCLs). These are Living Labs in which citizens are part of a co-design mechanism in which through customized monitoring of both environmental and health-related parameters, ad-hoc clinical investigations, healthy behaviours are identified in specific urban, cultural, climatic and socio-economic contexts.
The main objective of TRIGGER is to identify, monitor and quantify direct and indirect impacts of climate change (CC) induced environmental hazards on human health through the direct collection of health, weather-climate, environmental and socio-economic data with user-friendly tools (sensors, simplified models, and data hub). The research activities include: i) the realization of a concrete and workable toolbox; ii) the elaboration of policy briefs and guidelines to support policy and decision makers in development and applying climate actions supported by up-to-date medical scientific evidence; iii) the release of educational activities and materials to raise awareness of the climate-health connections to the wider society. The general objective has been formulated into five specific objectives (SOs), functional to address the main gaps and open questions in terms of knowledge, innovation, social/cultural acceptance, market opportunity and policy. Specific objectives are:
- SO1 Enhancement of evidence-based connections between CC and health threats and human well-being;
- SO2 Systemic knowledge of costs, benefits and risks of CC impacts and related mitigation and adaptation measures;
- SO3 Support of policymakers and health authorities with practical guidelines based on robust scientific methodology;
- SO4 Improvement of predictive and monitoring systems for health impacts from climate events and for policy actions;
- SO5 Rise of awareness of health risks from CC and promotion of effective practices for prevention and mitigation.
The specific objectives have been declined into 22 tangible results carefully designed to achieve the project's goals.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first and second reporting period a total of 35 + 26 deliverables have been completed, of which 15 related to the Climate-Health Cluster's activities. The main achievements are associated to the completion of 8 milestones.
Specifically, so far the TRIGGER project has consolidated and expanded its transdisciplinary efforts to advance the understanding of climate–health interactions and to translate scientific evidence into actionable policy tools. Building on the strong methodological and organizational foundations established in RP1, all nine Work Packages have progressed according to plan, with several achieving major milestones.
The five Climate–Health Connection Labs (CHC Labs) are now fully operational, acting as vibrant hubs for data collection, citizen engagement, and cross-disciplinary research. Clinical studies have advanced significantly: CrossCLAVIS completed recruitment with 1,352 participants, LongCLAVIS launched its longitudinal follow-up with harmonised wearable-based data collection, and RetroCLAVIS analyses yielded first insights on long-term climate–health associations. Complementary modelling work produced novel multi-scale prediction systems for climate conditions harmful to human health, while WP2 established a methodological framework for climate services for health applications, ensuring integration across scientific domains.
Socio-economic and policy-oriented activities have deepened the project’s impact beyond academia. WP6 quantified the economic costs of climate inaction—up to 13 times higher in the long term—while WP8 delivered several EU-level policy briefs addressing cardiovascular, respiratory, and mental health under climate stress. The Climate–Health Connection Hub (CH²) developed by WP7 is now functional, hosting integrated climate and health data streams, wearable outputs, and visual dashboards for real-time monitoring.
Communication and dissemination activities under WP9 have ensured high project visibility, producing educational materials, a serious game, and MOOCs under development. TRIGGER’s leadership in the Climate–Health Cluster has continued, reinforcing synergies among sister projects and contributing to high-level policy dialogues, including events at the European Parliament.
Collectively, these achievements position TRIGGER as a key European initiative linking climate science, health research, and policy innovation for a healthier, climate-resilient future.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Of relevance beyond the state of the art are the clinical studies that have been initiated and the identification of climate indicators for use in the medical research context that have not been considered in previous literature. Another component of the project's advancements has been the realization of the CH2 Platform currently being developed and the co-design of portable devices. These sensors have been deployed withing the LongCLAVIS study and original dataset has been obtained. Original results from the RetroCLAVIS study demonstrates new relationship between blood pressure and meteo-climate data, paving the way to new methodology to evaluate exposure to climate change. Also analysis from the CrossCLAVIS provides an original dataset that includes testing a novel indicator developed within the project (SHIWE).
The interdisciplinary research within TRIGGER is producing new evidence of the climate-health connections and this can be further used at various level, not only by reserchers but also by common citizens, local authorities and policymakers through the usage of the CH2 Platform.

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