London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The study is funded by the Wellcome Trust as part of the £75m Our Planet, Our Health initiative.

Housing is critically linked to both environmental and health outcomes. The building sector as a whole contributes up to 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and up to 40% of all energy use. Poor housing can lead to a range of avoidable health risks due to factors such as indoor air pollution, poor home heating and dampness.

Led by Professor Paul Wilkinson, the team will focus on case studies from four contrasting low-income housing settings in the UK, Delhi, Mexico and Cape Town. The project will design, model and test housing that both protects health and promotes environmental sustainability.

Paul Wilkinson, Professor Environmental Epidemiology at the School, said: "We will seek to identify attributes of housing which can not only help to protect and enhance health but also help meet climate change mitigation targets. As a result, we hope to develop best practice methods that can be successfully delivered across low-income populations."

The research will be carried out in partnership with UCL, the University of Cape Town, the Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence in India and EcoCasa in Mexico.

Commenting on the Wellcome Trust's new initiative, Professor Sir Andy Haines from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Chair of the 2015 Lancet-Rockefeller Commission on Planetary Health, said: "Among the challenges that must be overcome in order to safeguard human health during the anthropocene epoch is lack of knowledge.

"There are major gaps in our understanding of the mechanisms linking health and environmental changes, and the potential to enhance resilience, protect the environment and avert serious threats to health. The call by the Wellcome Trust for research to address these gaps is an important and timely step towards stewarding humanity successfully through the 21st century within the finite environmental limits of the Earth."

Clare Matterson, Wellcome Trust's Director of Strategy, added: "We know our relationship with the planet is jeopardising both delicate ecosystems and our long-term health, but we're also aware of significant knowledge gaps that need to be filled so the world can decide how best to act. Wellcome is launching this programme to improve the understanding of the links between planet and population health, and how to build the resilience of both."

The Wellcome Trust also recently announced Our Planet, Our Health funding for a project led by Dr Alan Dangour looking how the environment could change the way we eat.

Related links:

• Health of the population and planet receives a £75 million boost