Résumé
The HERA project objective and methodology :The HERA Project was funded by the EU Horizon2020 program to develop priorities for the European Union in research on the environment, climate & health. During the course of the HERA project extensive reviews of current knowledge, policies and activities were performed. Web- based surveys targeting research communities and stakeholder groups were carried out along with a series of online and face-to-face consultation meetings, involving hundreds of researchers and other stakeholders. The HERA methodology was based on principles of transparency, inclusiveness and mutual learning and is fully described in the Annex I of the Interim Research Agenda. The specific research recommendations from the HERA project aim to support policy makers, authorities, the public health sector, industry, NGOs and citizens and are summarised in this report “The EU research agenda for the environment, climate & health, 2020-2030”.The HERA vision for future research :The vision for future research underlying this Agenda calls for an unprecedented effort to support a better understanding of the causes, interlinkages and impacts of environmental determinants on health. Integrated and holistic research will support policies and practices to protect and promote human health and wellbeing while simultaneously improving the critical state of the environment, including climate change mitigation and ecosystem restoration, in Europe and globally. Efforts are needed at multiple scales, in various sectors and across the disciplines to address this challenge. Strengthening of solutions-oriented and implementation research is needed in order to develop and implement effective measures and policies.Relevance. Environmental factors, i.e. climate change, biodiversity losses, global pollution are likely to be among the major determinants of human and ecosystem health in the next decades. They are much less understood than other factors such as genetic determinants which have benefited from strong international and national research support. To address these challenges, major research efforts are needed.Urgency. In view of the current rate of global environmental degradation, there is a clear need for ambitious research programmes across the nexus of environment, climate and health. This needs to involve the fast tracking of new research initiatives to tackle the ‘Grand Challenges of our time’, including challenges that are believed to be medium- or long-term in order to consider the timeline required from research to implementation and observable environmental and health improvements.Integration. The HERA proposals are, in essence, inter- and transdisciplinary and participatory; they integrate several holistic concepts developed recently including One Health, Ecohealth, Planetary health and the Exposome concept. They address issues at different scales covering the global level (e.g. climate change), the community level (e.g. urban life) and more targeted stressor-related questions (e.g. chemicals).The EU research agenda for the environment, climate & health, 2020-2030 : The EU Research Agenda developed by the HERA project identifies six major research goals on the environment, climate and health to be addressed and numerous specific recommendations for research. The Research Agenda emphasizes research that can lead to policies promoting health and the environment. Figure 1 shows the overall framework of the HERA EU Research Agenda.Research goal 1 “Climate change and biodiversity loss – reduce effects on health and the environment” focuses on global interconnected issues. The consequences of climate change, biodiversity loss, disruption of food chains, emerging infectious diseases and decreased ecosystem services on health are not well understood despite evidence that they have major and persistent effects on life and the environment globally. The need to promote research for effective policies on mitigation and adaptation is identified as of paramount importance, as is the need to apply holistic approaches such as One-Health and Planetary health.Research goal 2 “Cities and communities – promote healthy lives in sustainable and inclusive societies” focuses on problem-based research. Living conditions in urban environments are of key concern as they impact the health and wellbeing of the majority of European citizens. The impacts of environmental factors may vary in different contexts, e.g. urban environment, workplace or polluted sites. Research should examine the complex relationships in these environments, and evaluate and promote positive interventions.Research goal 3 “Chemicals and physical stressors – prevent and eliminate harmful chemical exposures to health” focuses on chemicals, other stressors and environmental media. There are still many unknowns on the hazards and risks related to stressor families including chemicals and mixtures, physical stressors such as radiation, and the role played by the various environmental media carrying these stressors. Research should effectively address the challenges of a zero pollution paradigm and a sustainable future of mankind and our environment.Research goal 4 “Improve health impact assessment of environmental factors and promote implementation research” focuses on the need to develop new harmonized methodologies to evaluate the burden of environmental and climate change on health and to identify and assess the health benefits of human environmental interaction. Moreover, research should promote optimal ways to implement science-based decisions and policies as this is a limiting factor in many fields.Research goal 5 “Develop infrastructures, technologies and human resources for sustainable research on environment, climate change and health” focuses on the need of European research infrastructures to be strengthened and further developed in the environmental health field as they provide a basis for excellent research. The proposals include large cohort coordination, exposome characterization, data analysis and planetary monitoring tools.Research goal 6 “Promote research on transformational change in environment, climate change and health” focuses on the need of transformational change to address the intertwined environmental, social and health issues and reach critical global goals towards sustainability and equity. Societies will need to adapt to the challenges elicited by environmental stressors and climate change and this will require significant transformation of individual and collective behaviour and of policy making across the sectors and silos. Development of research approaches directed to finding and promoting workable solutions is necessary for achieving such transformations.