Exposures to harmful air pollutants, due to the burning of fossil fuels and climate-driven wildfires, have wide-reaching impacts on human health. In this ePanel, Climate Change, Air Quality and Lung Health, experts will explore how climate change is degrading air quality worldwide, exacerbating risks of lung diseases from asthma to lung cancer and fibrosis. The discussion will cover cutting edge research spanning epigenetic and cellular responses to epidemiologic studies, from the individual patient to community level. A particular emphasis will be placed on vulnerable individuals and populations, and research that informs interventions and policy decisions that will protect human health and equity.

Specifically, we will cover climate change, air quality and lung health as it relates to the following questions:

• How are exposures to degraded air quality changing because of climate change?
• Which populations and individuals are most vulnerable?
• What are the epigenetic and cellular mechanisms underlying lung damage?
• How can we measure the impact of climate change on lung disease prevalence in communities and populations in various environments, from urban cities to rural populations?
• How do we identify, protect and treat vulnerable populations, in various contexts?
• What public health interventions have been successful, or not?
• How can the low-carbon energy transition lead to local and immediate health benefits?
• Where do we need to focus future research to inform successful policy?

We will tackle these questions from many angles, gaining perspectives from clinicians, researchers, educators, and public health policy leaders to holistically assess these challenges and identify solutions. The event will inform the scientific community about impacts and inequities, while encouraging audiences to take action and get involved in the field to change the trajectory of the impending climate health crisis.