When heatwaves last longer, rivers swell after storms and cities trap pollution in concrete heat islands, daily life in the South Adriatic becomes more than just uncomfortable; it starts to affect people’s health. This growing concern lies at the heart of MICA, the new cross-border initiative launched in Bari on 24–25 November and funded by the Interreg IPA South Adriatic Programme.

MICA (“Mitigation of Climate Change Impacts on Human Health and Improvement of Well-Being through One Health Approach”) looks at how climate change is already affecting people’s health and how local authorities can anticipate those impacts before they turn into emergencies. The aim is clear: to turn climate and health data into practical tools that help public institutions detect risks earlier and protect communities more effectively.

The challenge is already visible in hospitals and clinics across the region. Rising temperatures and prolonged heatwaves are triggering spikes in cardiovascular and respiratory emergencies, worsening chronic illnesses and increasing pressure on health services. At the same time, environmental changes are altering air quality, fuelling extreme weather and increasing the risk of vector-borne diseases, such as mosquito-borne West Nile virus, which are becoming more likely as the climate changes. All of this shapes how people live, how health systems respond and how vulnerable certain areas become. And because the Adriatic is a tightly connected region, these risks do not stop at national borders.

To manage this complexity, MICA embraces the One Health approach: the idea that human health, environmental conditions and ecosystems are deeply interconnected and must be monitored together. The project will bring these dimensions into a shared analytical framework by developing integrated risk maps and a Decision Support System (DSS) to help authorities identify emerging vulnerabilities and plan ahead with better evidence.

The project will test its approach in three pilot areas:

• In Albania, the Korçë Regional Hospital will track hospital admissions linked to extreme climate events to understand how heat or severe weather translate into real health impacts;
• In Montenegro, the Institute of Public Health will analyse the presence and trends of climate-sensitive vectors;
• In Italy, municipalities and local stakeholders will participate in workshops and co-design sessions to develop practical resilience plans tailored to local needs.

Citizens will also play a crucial role. MICA includes a citizen-science mobile app, enabling residents to share environmental and health-related observations that enrich risk assessments with on-the-ground insights often invisible to traditional monitoring systems.

By the end of its 30-month lifespan, the project aims to deliver more than data and tools. It intends to establish a cross-border model for climate-related health adaptation, supported by a Policy Protocol and a Memorandum of Understanding that will ensure the approach lives on after the project concludes. The ambition is simple but essential: give South Adriatic communities a clearer view of the risks ahead and the means to prepare before those risks escalate.

The partnership behind MICA, led by the University of Bari “Aldo Moro” and including the University Hospital Consortium Polyclinic of Bari, the Polytechnic University of Bari, Albania’s DARC and Korçë Hospital, and the Institute of Public Health of Montenegro, reflects a shared commitment: not just studying how the climate is changing, but helping communities cope with its consequences through better data, coordinated action and smarter planning.

When the climate changes, people’s health changes too.

With MICA, South Adriatic countries are choosing to face that shared future together.