Context

In the past decades, climate change impacts have been impacting human lives and health by changing the severity and frequency of extreme weather and climate events (e.g. heat waves, floods, etc.) and alterations in labour capacity, food security, and the distribution of infectious diseases across geographies. The key question that remains crucial for many climate and health studies is whether, how, and to what extent climate change is affecting health. A better understanding of the causal link between climate trends and health outcomes could help policymakers assess potential risk and improve health system preparedness and response interventions.

Focus

The purpose of this second CCMI webinar is to create a space for climate change modellers and climate policy practitioners to discuss the latest developments and opportunities in assessing the links between climate change and health. Both focusing on the impacts of climate change on health, as well as the many co-benefits that ambitious climate action, together with mitigation and adaptation measures can bring on human health (such as cleaner air, more active lifestyles, healthier diets, increased exposure to green urban spaces). 

The webinar could help explore the interactions between climate and health and identify needs and priorities for future development.

The webinar would give space to speakers from both the climate change modelling community and the public health research community.

Key questions to discuss include:

§  What are the intersections between climate change and health?

§  What is the state-of-the-art of research findings about heat-related mortality events in Europe and the attribution of mortality to human-induced climate change?

§  How can we link science, policy and practice for a comprehensive assessment of climate mitigation and adaptation investments and their impact on human health?

Agenda

11:00 – 11:10 Welcome and opening Peter Loffler, DG CLIMA, European Commission

11:10 – 12:00

• The intersections between climate science, public health and epidemiology, Ana M. Vicedo Cabrera, University of Bern

• Attribution of extreme heat-related mortality in Europe to human-induced climate change, Thessa Beck, Barcelona Institute for Global Health

• Healthy Planet, Healthy People: Unveiling the health-related co-benefits of climate actions from the IPCC AR6 reports, Shreya Some, Asian Institute of Technology

• WHO’s report “A framework for the quantification and economic valuation of health outcomes originating from health and non-health climate change mitigation and adaptation action”, Andrea Bassi,  IISD and Stellenbosch University, South Africa  

12:00 -12:20 Interactive discussion moderated by ICF

12:20-12:30 Conclusions and closing