Hei-Planet, Heidelberg Planetary Health Hub

The Heidelberg Planetary Health Hub (Hei-Planet) is an interdisciplinary research community addressing the interconnected challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, pollution, and biodiversity loss through a health-focused lens.

We place human health within the context of healthy earth- and biosphere systems, exploring the links between planetary and human well-being.

Hei-Planet, Heidelberg Planetary Health Hub fosters interdisciplinary research and knowledge translation in planetary health, cultivating a goal-oriented, curiosity-driven research environment in an international community of researchers valuing scientific principles and ethics.

Our team of over 30 researchers at Heidelberg University advances knowledge on the inter-dependencies of earth systems, the biosphere and human health focusing specifically on the triple planetary crisis. We develop novel AI approaches and model to deepen our understanding of the dependencies between these systems, and develop and test out interventions to increase resilience.

climate and infectious diseases modelling
climate-health synthesis and monitoring
pandemic prevention
plastic pollution and health
nature-based health solutions

Treskova, M., & Rocklöv, J. (2026). Coupling experiments and macroecological models to resolve multi-stressor effects in vector–pathogen systems. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 24, 602–604. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-026-01330-x
Heidecke, J., Kriit, H. K., Fransson, P., Wallin, J., & Rocklöv, J. (2026). Evaluating the ability of a thermal biology-informed reproduction number to explain patterns of West Nile incidence in Europe. One Health, 22, 101469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101469
Liu, Y., Guo, J., Fransson, P., Widgren, S., Omazic, A., & Rocklöv, J. (2026). Exploring prediction of tick and tick-borne encephalitis cases in Sweden using citizen science data. iScience, 29(8), 116879. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.116879
Hatfield, C. R. S., Stiles, P. C., Liyanage, P., Baron, J. N., Rodriguez, A. T., Becker, N., Zipf, A., Beigl, M., & Rocklöv, J. (2026). Fine-scale temporal and spatial dynamics of Ae. albopictus response to larviciding with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis in Heidelberg, Germany. Scientific Reports, 16(1), 12031. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-46094-9
Kriit, H. K., Chen-Xu, J., Semenza, J. C., Heiliger, H., Markandya, A., Dasandi, N., Jankin, S., van Daalen, K. R., Achebak, H., Alari, A., Alcayna, T., Ball, E., Ballester, J., Bechara, H., Callaghan, M. W., van Cauwenberghe, M., Charnley, G. E. C., Courtenay, O., Cirach, M., … Rocklöv, J. (2026). The 2026 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: Narrowing window for decisive health action. The Lancet Public Health, 11(6), e386–e407. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(26)00025-3

For recent publications from across the Heidelberg Planetary Health Hub, please see the Hei-Planet Zotero library:

Recent publications from Hei-Planet members

The Lancet Countdown on Health and Plastics

The Lancet Countdown on Health and Plastics is an international initiative dedicated to systematically tracking and reporting on the global crisis of plastic pollution.

VBD-MODE Vector-borne disease modelling in Germany -preparing for contemporary and future risk

Vector-borne disease modelling in Germany -preparing for contemporary and future risk (VBD-MODE) is a project aimed at enhancing the prediction of vector-borne diseases and patterns of outbreak in Germany.

The One Health Integrated Surveillance for Zoonotic Diseases: A Case Study of Leptospirosis in Sri Lanka (OHIS-ZOO)

The One Health Integrated Surveillance for Zoonotic Diseases: A Case Study of Leptospirosis in Sri Lanka (OHIS-ZOO) project aims to strengthen the early detection and prevention of leptospirosis outbreaks through a proactive One Health (OH) approach.

Modelling the risk of WNV in vector, animal, and human populations in Germany

Modelling the risk of WNV in vector, animal, and human populations in Germany is a project designed with the objective of enhancing the surveillance and risk assessment of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Germany through the development of innovative modelling approaches.