Using an environmental justice perspective on cross-domain collaboration in heat adaptation
Abstract
Background: Heat-related health risks are distributed unequally among populations due to variations in exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. As these determinants span physical, medical and social domains, cross-domain collaboration is essential for effective heat adaptation. This study applies an environmental justice lens (procedural, recognitional and distributive justice) to analyse barriers and facilitators in collaboration between professionals.
Methods: 29 semi-structured interviews and 3 validation sessions were conducted with policymakers and client-oriented professionals from physical, medical and social domains in Utrecht and Rotterdam.
Results: Procedural justice is challenged by a persistent gap between policy and practice, despite the inherently context-specific nature of heat adaptation. Neighbourhood advisors and key figures possess meaningful contextual knowledge, can fulfil a bridging role in stakeholder engagement and signalling heat stress. From a recognitional justice perspective, differences in perceived urgency regarding heat stress hinder timely identification and response. At-risk groups may not always recognise themselves as such, while medical and social professions often act reactively in response to client requests. Regarding distributive justice, the current task-oriented approach focuses on the largest challenge with the greatest benefit, based on quantifiable indicators (e.g. heat maps). As a result, cumulative heat-related health risks are overlooked despite potential leads in existing cross-domain policies on aging or summer loneliness.
Conclusions: Applying an environmental justice lens, facilitates reflection on the current task-oriented approach and the persistent gap between policy and practice. Key facilitators include the involvement of professionals with context-specific expertise and the strategic integration of heat adaptation into broader cross-domain policy agendas.
Key messages: • Applying an environmental justice lens shows why heat adaptation overlooks risk groups and emphasises the need to better connect policy and practice.
• Fairer heat adaptation starts with local knowledge: context-specific professionals and alignment with existing social policies can move beyond task-driven approaches.
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BibTeX
@article{warmerdam2026using,
title = {{Using an environmental justice perspective on cross-domain collaboration in heat adaptation}},
author = {LA Warmerdam and GS Downward and M Jambroes and YMR Vendrig-de Punder},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.906},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.906},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Using an environmental justice perspective on cross-domain collaboration in heat adaptation
AU - LA Warmerdam
AU - GS Downward
AU - M Jambroes
AU - YMR Vendrig-de Punder
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.906
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.906
AB - Background: Heat-related health risks are distributed unequally among populations due to variations in exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. As these determinants span physical, medical and social domains, cross-domain collaboration is essential for effective heat adaptation. This study applies an environmental justice lens (procedural, recognitional and distributive justice) to analyse barriers and facilitators in collaboration between professionals. Methods: 29 semi-structured interviews and 3 validation sessions were conducted with policymakers and client-oriented professionals from physical, medical and social domains in Utrecht and Rotterdam. Results: Procedural justice is challenged by a persistent gap between policy and practice, despite the inherently context-specific nature of heat adaptation. Neighbourhood advisors and key figures possess meaningful contextual knowledge, can fulfil a bridging role in stakeholder engagement and signalling heat stress. From a recognitional justice perspective, differences in perceived urgency regarding heat stress hinder timely identification and response. At-risk groups may not always recognise themselves as such, while medical and social professions often act reactively in response to client requests. Regarding distributive justice, the current task-oriented approach focuses on the largest challenge with the greatest benefit, based on quantifiable indicators (e.g. heat maps). As a result, cumulative heat-related health risks are overlooked despite potential leads in existing cross-domain policies on aging or summer loneliness. Conclusions: Applying an environmental justice lens, facilitates reflection on the current task-oriented approach and the persistent gap between policy and practice. Key facilitators include the involvement of professionals with context-specific expertise and the strategic integration of heat adaptation into broader cross-domain policy agendas. Key messages: • Applying an environmental justice lens shows why heat adaptation overlooks risk groups and emphasises the need to better connect policy and practice. • Fairer heat adaptation starts with local knowledge: context-specific professionals and alignment with existing social policies can move beyond task-driven approaches.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -