Impeach - Impacts on environment, cultural heritage and human health

Coordinator: Alessandra Bonazza

Board: Francesca Costabile – Cristina Mangia

Impacts of natural and anthropogenic hazards on environment, human health and cultural heritage. Society-driven research

Despite the extraordinary advances in environment, cultural heritage and human health prospects, a growing number of challenges remain or have emerged in recent years. An emerging consensus suggests that the time has come for science to establish novel interdisciplinary research partnerships and build new cross-sectoral collaborations: rethinking science is necessary to meet today’s priorities. In this context, the ImpEACHs thematic area aims to address the grand challenges of today’s society on environment, cultural heritage and human health impacts, with a multidisciplinary and integrated approach, cutting across the strategic areas CAMEO (Climate and Meteorology, modelling and Earth Observation) and CAFCA (Atmospheric composition, climate forcing and air quality).

In-situ and remote sensing of environmental parameters

• Human exposure assessment and source apportionment
• Indoor and outdoor environmental monitoring (climatic/microclimatic parameters, pollutants, bioaerosol) for protection, management and sustainable use of cultural heritage and landscape

Integrated meteo-hydro-geological and air-quality modelling for risk mitigation

• Improving the spatial resolution of global and regional coupled models, parametrizations, convective and microphysics schemes controlling clouds, surface process representations and surface- atmosphere exchange
• Quantifying and reducing uncertainty in model chains (global-regional-hydrological models) using dynamic downscaling and/or statistical/stochastic.
• Air Quality modeling: (i) integrated models chemical/transport and impact evaluation, (ii) integrated numerical models, meteo-dispersion

Development of health-related air quality metrics

• Development of new metrics to characterize both aerosol and gaseous pollutants (including non-criteria pollutants, climate forcers, and allergens) to improve air pollution impact assessment on human health
• Technological development of instrumentation to improve air pollution impact assessment on human health

Impact of pollution, climate and microclimate changes

• Modelling and experimental activities for the implementation of tools (damage functions, vulnerability indicators, risk maps) for the protection of cultural and natural Heritage
• Development of non-invasive methodologies and technologies for diagnosis and assessment of anthropic impact (e.g. energy consumption, waste, mobility, urbanization) on movable and immovable cultural heritage
• Damage assessment of heritage materials induced by changes in pollution, microclimate and climate change
• Aerobiology: vegetational variation of the airborne biological component in relation to environmental factors, pollution and climate changes

Alternative energy sources, innovative materials and environmental sustainability

• Environmental impact assessment of innovative materials in terms of compatibility, durability and sustainability for their application in cultural restoration and conservation
• Assessment of innovative technologies/materials for historic and urban buildings aimed at energy efficiency, living comfort improvement and pollutants emissions reduction

Risk assessment for cultural heritage and landscape

• Development of models for risk assessment on complex scenarios (historic centres, archaeological sites and terraced landscapes) exposed to multiple hazards due to climate change
• Risk mapping for the protection of cultural and natural heritage exposed to pollution and extreme weather conditions at short, medium and long terms
• Recommendations and guidelines for policy and decision makers in support of risk management

Grand Challenges

1) Climate, pollution and impacts on health (one-health approach: humans, animals, plants and the environment)

Air pollution, and in particular air pollution associated to the fine particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), is considered the leading environmental health risk factor globally, causing several million deaths per year. There is a public health crisis today, for which it is necessary to develop significant scientific evidence to support the development of new recommendations, policies, and legislation that have to consider physical, chemical and biological dimensions of air quality and their correlations. To tackle the problem, this research theme focuses on four major issues. Firstly, it aims at understanding which atmospheric aerosol components are the most toxic to human health, how can these aerosol toxic components be characterized and measured, and which sources and processes are responsible for their increase in both outdoor and indoor environments. Then, it deals with the exposure science and environmental epidemiology, to identify and characterize correlations between air pollutant exposure patterns and acute or chronic health effects, and effects; the goal is to co-produce environmental epidemiology results caring of gender and environmental justice by means of people engagement. Another area of study aims to understand how meteorological factors impact the association between air pollution and human health. Special attention is given to the Urban Heat Island (UHI), or the role of summer heat waves in enhancing the UHI effect, and UHI forecasting system for the impact of future climate change scenarios. Finally, it explores aerobiology, the associations between airborne pollens, bacterial, fungal spores and/or their allergens and related to health effects (in indoor and outdoor) in relation to environmental factors, pollution and climate change.

2) Support to risk management of extreme climate events in urban and coastal areas

This research theme aims to an improved understanding of which and how weather and hydrogeological events impact through a multidisciplinary approach by fostering the involvement of skills in Earth Science with the objective of pursuing advancements in the field of:- assessment of rain threshold in terms of intensity, persistency, frequency and extremes return period in occurrence of flooding.-definition of duration, energy and direction of wind that transfer energy to sea surface for evaluations of the impact on coastline modification or generally on beach morphology in case of sea storms.-analysis of how the persistence of high temperature, low relative humidity, precipitation scarcity and presence of strong wind can represent a risk factor for forestry, agriculture and in general to landscape in conditions of prolonged drought periods that could influence the occurrence of wildfires.

3) Impact assessment and damage quantification on complex systems at local level (cultural landscapes, historic centers)

The protection of cultural heritage and landscape is a priority at National and International level with important economic, social and cultural consequences. To understand and thus prevent risks and the related damaging processes, a depth understanding of features of heritage materials and of their interaction with environmental forcings is necessary. This research theme focuses on the study of the physical, chemical and biological deterioration mechanisms that deal with the interaction between the environment and cultural heritage, both indoors and outdoors.The objective is to assess the damage of built heritage and cultural landscape caused by the impact of pollution, carelessness, microclimate, climate change, extreme climate events at diverse spatial and temporal scales. The research activities aim to provide outputs and tools for the safeguarding and managing of cultural and natural heritage at risk when exposed to natural, environmental and anthropogenic hazards.The methodologies employed include experimental research (tests and measurement campaigns in laboratory and in field) and technological innovation through the development and performance evaluation of new methods and models for impact assessment and damage quantification. Scientific knowledge and technological innovation are addressed to provide user friendly tools for stakeholders in the field of protection, preventive conservation and management of cultural heritage at risk.

4) Development of tools of preparedness and prevention in response to stakeholder needs

The aim of this research topic is to transfer scientific findings into inputs for policy, management and decision making process feedbacks for local authorities and decision-makers. Activities include the air quality assessment in both outdoor (urban and public green management, rural, and remote areas, including polar and coastal areas) and indoor environment (confined/closed spaces and working places). The air quality assessment is also carried out at industrial and anthropogenic sites, with focus on atmospheric emissions (including fugitive emissions), volcanic ash, bio-aerosol (indoor air quality assessment in working and living places). The creation of high-quality and reference datasets is undertaken to specifically support toxicological and epidemiological studies.Further, support is provided to develop, tools, recommendations and guidelines for energy efficiency in historical buildings and for air quality addressed to public health, land management (urban and remote, including coastal areas) and protection of cultural heritage.In addition a major objective concerns the development of measures and strategies for the resilience strengthening of cultural heritage and landscape at risk from natural and human-made disasters addressed to the different phases of the risk disaster management and reduction cycle (preparedness/emergency/recovery).Finally, an active participation in standardisation bodies (CEN, UNI, UNICHIM) is ensured in sectors ranging from air quality to risk and safety management.

5) Development of tools to support energy transition and resilience to climate risk

The transition to sustainable energy systems is an urgent priority with deeply interconnected environmental, economic, and cultural implications. From global to local scales, the transition phase is key to achieving successful long-term sustainable adaptation, involving the integration of emerging alternative energy technologies with existing infrastructures.This research theme focuses on energy technologies for the regeneration of living environments and buildings. It is deeply interdisciplinary, focusing on:

• Advancing technology development through support for industrial research aimed at creating emission-neutral or even positive energy balance technologies applicable to buildings, including manufacturing facilities and civil structures, with historical buildings representing a pinnacle challenge. Among these, indoor climatization components, envelope insulation, ground-source heat pump systems, and related ancillary technologies are of particular interest. Activities include on-site environmental monitoring, energy system performance assessments at laboratory and real scale, and thermophysical property analysis of innovative building components and materials.
• Fostering resilient strategies for interventions on existing buildings by leveraging digital design solutions and implementing data-driven energy management plans, aimed at integrating third-party tools such as energy modeling, BIM, and digital twin technologies to address future climate risk scenarios. These approaches ensure that the adopted technologies not only align with but also enhance current standards of economic sustainability by considering energy mix and costs, human well-being and productivity through improved indoor thermal comfort, and cultural heritage preservation through proper microclimate conditions. Activities for historical buildings also include employing innovative uses of infrared thermography as a quantitative, non-destructive inspection method to inform and optimize sustainable design and conservation practices.