Table 3.

Working table 4: Health impacts of biophysical category.

Climate Variable	Health Hazards & Impacts		Vulnerability (Exposure, Sensitivity, Adaptive Capacity)				Evidence/ Uncertainty
Gradual Changes	Hazards (Tansfer from working table 3)	Health Impacts Direct & indirect	Regional	Economic	Social	Infrastructure
Temperature increase	Ground-level ozone likely to increase	Respiratory and cardio-vascular effects, including increase in mortality, hospitalisations and doctor visits.	Exposure likely to be higher in urban areas	-	Exposure tends to be higher outdoors → lifestyle and occupational factors may increase exposure.	Flow-on effects to health sector. May be heightened during heatwaves.	Link between ozone levels and temperature, and health effects of ozone exposure are well-established.
	Increase in aeroallergens	Asthma			Sensitive groups—existing respiratory conditions, including asthma.		Effect on aeroallergens is complex and uncertain.
Extreme Events Heatwaves	Exposure to extreme heat	Heat-related illnesses	Areas with higher temperatures. Urban areas due to urban heat island effect. Higher proportion of sensitive groups in some regions (elderly, isolated).	Low income groups—lower adaptive capacity and affected more by energy costs incurred during heatwaves. Food producers who may face crop losses, possible impact on tourism.	Elderly, isolated, pre-existing medical conditions. Low adaptive capacity—low income groups, homeless Higher exposure—certain occupations or lifestyles	Power cuts caused by high levels of peak demand. Damage to transport systems. Flow on effects to industry. Increased demand on health services.	Link between exposure to heat and health is well-established. Possible synergistic effects of exposure to heat and air pollutants should be considered.

Excerpts from [12].