On 6 November 2025, ClimateHUB – part of the PDPC Frontrunner project 1 –  organized the Climate Adaptation & Infectious Diseases Symposium. With a beautiful view over Rotterdam, including the climate adaptation measures under construction, professionals from various backgrounds gathered at W70 for an inspiring afternoon full of knowledge exchange and discussions on the relationship between climate adaptation and infectious diseases.

During the symposium, speakers shared their insights on the many aspects of climate adaptation: from changes within the municipality of Rotterdam and innovative climate systems to the intriguing question, “Where does a mosquito actually like to live?” The symposium also offered a glimpse into ongoing research in Rotterdam about the effects of climate adaptation measures on local ecosystems, including mosquitoes, but also birds, small rodents and viruses. Key insights from the presentations included:

• When designing and implementing climate adaptation measures in Rotterdam, many considerations are taken into account, such as positive health effects, but potential negative effects, like mosquitoes, are not always included. Together with a group of multidisciplinary stakeholders, ClimateHUB mapped mosquito-related risks in this process; a next step is identifying where and how knowledge on mosquitoes can be implemented into this process.
• Preliminary results from research on mosquito breeding sites in 17 climate-adaptive water storage sites in Rotterdam showed that underground water storage locations may serve as mosquito breeding sites, but their contribution appears limited compared to regular street stormdrains. This may be different for the invasive Aedes albopictus tiger mosquito, which is why potential study locations in Southern Europe are now being explored to repeat this research
• Initial results from research in the Eendragtspolder, which was partly flooded this past summer to simulate an extreme rainfall event, show that the flooding led to a significant increase in the number of mosquitoes and a change in bird species visiting the area. This may influence the risks of mosquito-borne infectious diseases, especially given the large number of people who visit the area.

The day concluded with a lively panel discussion in which the speakers summarized the key lessons learned that day and persistent challenges:

• “Try not to think only from a policy perspective, but look at what can already be done. Measuring and monitoring are very relevant!”
• “Advice to municipalities about the living environment covers many issues that sometimes conflict with each other: it’s nearly impossible to capture that in a single guideline. To resolve this, you need to sit down together and discuss what works best.”
• “Knowledge must be developed with practice in mind, looking at how infectious disease risks can be integrated alongside other parallel interests.”
• “Translating knowledge into practice is crucial. We must start doing that now, because we are already in the process of redesigning and planning up to the year 2100.”

One thing became clear: climate adaptation requires collaboration across disciplines, from health to urban design and integration of knowledge from research to practice. The symposium was an important step in this direction, as it brought together a mixed audience: from public health advisors to municipal and water authority policymakers, researchers from universities and universities of applied sciences, and even participants from across the southern border.

All in all, the symposium was a great success. ClimateHUB continues to dedicate itself to connecting stakeholders in the Rotterdam-Rijnmond region to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing for the design of healthy and climate-resilient cities that also account for the risk of climate-sensitive infectious diseases. In the coming year, ClimateHUB will also conduct research on the climate adaptation process and the integration of infectious disease risks in the Utrecht and Amsterdam regions (alongside an international comparison with Heidelberg, Germany).

Click here to read more about ClimateHUB’s research and activities!