ICARUS - Adapting to extreme heat caused by climate change

Extreme heat is an increasingly important public health challenge. Heatwaves and excessive exposure to solar radiation contribute to illness and mortality, while ongoing climate change is expected to further intensify these risks. The ICARUS project—supported by a DKK 15 million Novo Nordisk Foundation Synergy Grant—brings together expertise in physiology, psychology, medicine, behavioural science, and data science to better understand how people respond to extreme heat and how associated health risks can be reduced.

PhD student MSc Elisabeth Glunz is developing a series of psychological studies, including an experience-sampling paradigm, to investigate the cognitive, emotional, and cultural factors that shape resilience to extreme heat. Her research will also examine how experiences of heat influence perceptions of climate change. These questions will be studied both in controlled laboratory settings involving heat and UV exposure and in real-world environments, where sensing devices will capture measures including UV exposure, physical activity, and heart rate.

Postdoctoral researcher Dr Marc Büttner is developing machine-learning methods to model and predict individual vulnerability to extreme heat and to support personalised heat-risk communication. The models will integrate physiological, behavioural, and psychological data to characterise heat-related behaviour and risk-taking, generate personalised alerts and recommendations through a mobile application, and adapt guidance to individuals’ physiology, habits, and psychological profiles. At a broader level, the research will explore how insights from individual-level data can inform population-level resilience strategies and climate policy.

By combining behavioural and physiological research with data-driven modelling, ICARUS aims to improve our understanding of how individuals respond to extreme heat and translate these insights into effective, personalised interventions. Ultimately, the project seeks to contribute both to individual protection during heatwaves and to evidence-based strategies for strengthening societal resilience to a changing climate.