Navigating the Interplay of Ecosystem Restoration, Climate Change, and Human Health: Addressing Challenges with a Case Study in Central Europe

This chapter explores the nexus of ecosystem Restoration, climate change, and human health, aiming to mitigate thermal stress connecting SDG 15 to SDG 13 and SDG 3 in line with the One Health principles. The work is based on a case study in Poland (Wieliczka municipality), where, after calculating topoclimate unit and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) in each topoclimate unit, the spatial diversity of thermal comfort for the inhabitants was presented. The results in thermal contrasts reflected the strong variation of heat stress in each weather type, and the average UTCI value within the same weather type is approximately 1.2 °C lower in rural areas compared to urban areas. The results showed the role of vegetation on thermal comfort. The study concludes that restoration projects enable the creation of microclimates suitable for human thermal comfort, and suitable modification of the urban landscape can produce improvements in the thermal comfort of the inhabitants.