The thermal comfort of pedestrians in a humid subtropical climate according to different thermal perception ratings.

This study aims to evaluate agreement among subjective thermal comfort, thermal sensation, thermal perception, and thermal tolerance indices, according to pedestrians in downtown Santa Maria, southern Brazil, which has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). Between August 2015 and July 2016 (three periods), 1728 questionnaires were applied. Evaluation of the dependence of statistical variables was based on gender and age, at three periods of time: August 2015 (864 respondents), January 2016 (432 respondents), and July 2016 (432 respondents). Statistical evaluation was based on Pearson's chi-square test using RStudio software, and a significance level (α) of 5% for thermal comfort, thermal sensation, thermal preference, and thermal tolerance was used. Results indicated that age and gender affect the relationship between the variables. Thermal comfort and thermal tolerance presented the best correlation and coherence, regardless of age or gender. This study contributes to knowledge on the local microclimate and can contribute to urban planning to implement strategies that improve pedestrians' thermal comfort.

Summary of the first Brazilian Symposium on Human Biometeorology.

This brief background highlights Brazil as a 'climate-health hotspot', i.e. a country where climate affects local populations negatively through multiple pathways (Di Napoli et al. BMC Public Health 22(1):1-8, 2022). Knowledge gaps still need to be filled concerning the various climaterelated dimensions of tourism, vector-borne diseases, mortality and morbidity in urban centers in the country (Krüger et al. Int J Biometeorol 66(7):1297-1315, 2022). Motivated by this, the first Brazilian Symposium on Human Biometeorology (Simpósio Brasileiro de Biometeorologia Humana 2022) was organized and held at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) in Natal, northeastern Brazil, between July 4 and 8, 2022. The symposium was organized as a hybrid event by a committee composed of researchers acting in different regions of the country, and who had an ongoing research collaboration on matters related to human biometeorology. The event was partly sponsored by the ISB and partly self-supported by the organizers and institutions involved. The symposium aimed to promote the development of the research area on human biometeorology in Brazil in facing challenges imposed by a globally and locally changing climate. To achieve this, the symposium focused on five main topics of discussion: a) climate-driven diseases; b) thermal comfort, urban and architectural biometeorology; c) atmospheric pollution and health; d) climate change; e) climate, health and climate change. This summary highlights the main findings, future research directions, and policy implications in each topic from the presentations and panel discussions.

A first approach to human biometeorology research in Brazil: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review aims to give an overview of the diversity of research areas related to human biometeorology in Brazil. The main focus of this paper addresses research trends, represented by published papers with national and international authorship, main contributions and shortcomings, as well as challenges and prospects of research in this area of study. An extensive literature search was conducted in the Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct databases so as to identify relevant publication output up to July 2021 related to the research area. The screening resulted in 96 studies chosen for full-text reading. Overall, results indicated a reduced amount of articles on the subject matter published internationally, with noticeable gaps in research in some regions of the country, such as the Amazon region and in the Brazilian Midwest region. Research gaps in relevant areas have been identified with limited output in the climate dimensions of tourism, vector-borne diseases, mortality and morbidity in urban centers. Such gaps should further encourage researchers to engage in research focused on those areas.