The increasing frequency and intensity of heat stress events have become a major public health issue, driven by rising global temperatures and extreme weather. Vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, children, and those with pre-existing conditions, are particularly at risk. Urban areas, worsened by the urban heat island effect, face heightened dangers.

This Research Topic, Heat Stress and Public Health Issues: Impacts, Adaptation, and Mitigation, invites research on the health impacts of heat stress, adaptation strategies, and mitigation techniques. Addressing these challenges is critical for reducing immediate health risks and ensuring long-term sustainability.

Public health policies, supported by technological advancements like geospatial tools, are essential for effective heat stress interventions. This collection seeks contributions from various fields, including environmental science, climate change, public health, and urban planning, to foster a comprehensive understanding of heat stress and its broader societal impacts such as mental health and economic productivity.

The proposed research topic aims to address the pressing challenge of increasing heat stress due to global climate change. With rising temperatures and more frequent extreme heat events, public health risks are becoming more significant, especially for vulnerable populations like the elderly, children, and individuals with pre-existing conditions. Urban areas, which are subject to the urban heat island effect, face heightened risks, amplifying the negative impacts on public health.

Recent advances in geospatial technologies, climate modeling, and urban planning provide critical tools for better understanding and managing these risks. The goal of this research is to bring together multidisciplinary perspectives to explore both adaptation and mitigation strategies, ensuring that society is better equipped to handle the health effects of heat stress. It is essential to integrate public health policies, technological innovations, and urban planning strategies to build climate resilience and safeguard public well-being.

We encourage submissions across disciplines, including environmental science, public health, urban planning, and geospatial technologies. Key themes include:

1) Impacts of heat stress on public health and vulnerable populations.
2) Co-benefits and trade-offs between heat adaptation measures and public health.
3) Climate change and the exacerbation of heat-related health risks.
4) Urban heat islands and their contribution to heat stress in metropolitan areas.
5) Adaptive public health strategies and interventions for heat stress.
6) The role of geospatial technology in monitoring heat stress.
7) Climate resilience and urban planning in response to heat stress.
8) Mental health impacts associated with prolonged exposure to heat.
9) Policy frameworks for managing heat stress in the context of climate change.
10) The economic burden of heat-related health conditions and productivity loss.
11) Decision support tools to enable the cooling solution implementation.
12) Cross-disciplinary approaches to heat stress mitigation and adaptation.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Heat Stress and Public Health Issues: Impacts, Adaptation, and Mitigation