Our health, our planet, our future: climate change and planetary health at LSHTM
Discussing priorities and solutions to shape policy and train the next generation for our shared health.
This one-day conference will explore the links between environmental change and planetary health. Prominent and influential speakers will discuss priorities for climate and health at COP29 and beyond, and explore how the health and scientific communities can influence these global negotiations. The diverse programme will include sessions on the health impacts of environmental change, as well as solutions that benefit both people and the planet.
The event will showcase the Centre on Climate Change & Planetary Health (CCCPH) at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) as a pioneer in climate and health, shaping policy and training the next generation of leaders. It will highlight impactful projects from CCCPH, the MRC Units at LSHTM, and other partners, providing opportunities for knowledge sharing, networking and collaboration.
Celebrating 125 years, LSHTM is committed to creating a more healthy, sustainable and equitable world. In a time of accelerating change and uncertainty, the conference will spotlight LSHTM’s focus on equipping future researchers, managers and leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to take on today’s challenges through our in-person and new online Master‘s programme on climate change and planetary health.
While the event will be aimed primarily at students (current and prospective) and early career researchers, all internal or external audience members are welcome. Of particular interest to students and early career researchers (ECRs), there will be a session focused on careers in planetary health. The conference will also provide a platform for PhD students and ECRs at LSHTM to present their work and ideas on key topics, fostering a community of innovation and leadership in climate and health.
Delegates can join the hybrid, full-day conference either online or in person. There is no charge for attending but you will need to register in advance. Lunch and refreshments will be provided for those who come in person. The main event will also be followed by a drinks and canapes reception.
Join us to discover how evidence-based research informs climate and health policy and action, and learn how LSHTM is working on new approaches to protect our shared health and educate future planetary health leaders.
Programme
- From 09:30: Registration
Registration desk will be located outside the upper entrance of the John Snow Lecture Theatre
- 10:00: Session 1: Climate Change & Planetary Health at LSHTM: A New Era
Professor Liam Smeeth, Director, LSHTM: Opening remarks
Professor Rosemary Green & Professor Kris Murray (online), MRC Unit The Gambia, Co-Directors of the Centre on Climate Change & Planetary Health (CCCPH): Welcome from the CCCPH
Dr Pauline Paterson, Programme Director of the MSc Climate Change & Planetary Health: Introduction to LSHTM's MSc in Climate Change & Planetary Health
- 10:40: Keynote Presentation from Professor Johan Rockström, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (recorded)
Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries: An Update on Earth’s Health
This presentation provides a scientific update of the state of the Earth’s system and how this links to the health of both people and the planet. The latest research reveals that six of the nine planetary boundaries are now substantially breached, and urgent action is needed to bring us back to a safe operating space.
Johan Rockström is Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Professor in Earth System Science at the University of Potsdam and Professor in Water Systems and Global Sustainability at the University of Stockholm. He is an internationally recognised scientist on global sustainability issues and led the development of the Planetary Boundaries framework for human development in the current era of rapid global change. Professor Rockström is a leading scientist on global water resources, with more than 25 years’ experience in applied water research in tropical regions, and more than 150 research publications in fields ranging from applied land and water management to global sustainability. He is chair of the Earth Commission, the Earth League, Chief Scientist of Conservation International, and elected member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Photo credit: Karkow / PIK
- 11:00: Keynote presentation from Sir Andy Haines, Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health, LSHTM
Climate change and planetary health - an overview
Professor Andy Haines was formerly a family doctor and Professor of Primary Health Care at UCL. He developed an interest in climate change and health in the 1990’s and was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the 2nd, 3rd and 5th assessment exercises. Professor Haines chaired the Scientific Advisory Panel for the 2013 WHO World Health Report, the Rockefeller /Lancet Commission on Planetary Health (2014-15) and the European Academies Science Advisory Council working group on climate change and health (2018-19). He co-chaired the InterAcademy Partnership (140 science academies worldwide) working group on climate change and health (2019-2022) and the Lancet Pathfinder Commission report on health in the zero-carbon economy. He was, until recently, the co-director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Health at LSHTM. He was awarded the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in 2022.
- 11:25: Break
- 11:45: Session 2: How to advance climate action for health: COP29 and beyond
Panel discussion with:
Dr Sarah Whitmee, Assistant Professor, LSHTM
Dr Martin Muchangi, Director for Population Health and Environment at Amref Health Africa (online)
Dr Omnia El Omrani, Climate and Health Policy Fellow at Imperial College London (online)
Dr Sidat Yaffa, Assistant Professor at University of The Gambia (UTG), School of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences (online)
Sophie Gepp, Research Associate, Centre for Planetary Health Policy (online)
Chaired by Dr Iris Blom, PhD Candidate, LSHTM
- 12:40: Lunch
- 13:40: Fireside chat with Dr Vanessa Kerry, Seed Global Health & WHO Director-General Special Envoy for Climate Change & Health (online), hosted by Professor Andy Haines, LSHTM
Dr Vanessa Kerry MD, MSc
Dr Kerry is the co-founder and CEO of Seed Global Health (Seed), a non-profit organisation focused on health systems strengthening and transformation through long-term investments and training of the health workforce. Under her leadership, Seed has helped educate more than 42,000 doctors, nurses, and midwives in seven countries, helping to improve health care for more than 76 million people. In June 2023, Dr Kerry was appointed WHO Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health. She has spoken and written about the effects of climate change on human health and health systems and the need to integrate a health-centered response into climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. Dr Kerry supported the UAE COP28 Presidency to shape the first-ever COP Day of Health in December 2023 and continues to lead efforts globally to build advocacy around the impact of climate change on health and ensure equitable and just climate action. Dr Kerry is a pulmonary and clinical care trained physician and the Director of Global and Climate Health Policy at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is the mother of two children.
- 14:10: Session 3: Impacts of environmental change on planetary health
Chair: Professor Shakoor Hajat, Professor of Global Environmental Health, LSHTM
Professor Antonio Gasparrini, Professor of Biostatistics, LSHTM
Professor Antonio Gasparrini is a biostatistician and epidemiologist with interests in methodology, applied research in various epidemiological and public health topics, and software development. His current research focuses on the development of novel study designs for individual and small-area analyses, use of novel remote sensing and mobile technologies in epidemiology, spatio-temporal modelling of environmental exposures and risks, and health impact projections for climate change.
Huiqi Chen, LSHTM: Economic Burden of High Temperatures on Health Systems: A Quantitative Analysis of Hospital Admissions in Brazil
This study examines the health and economic impacts of high temperatures on hospital admissions in Brazil under climate change. Using data from 2008 to 2019 and projections up to 2060, we estimate the cost burden on health systems due to heat-related hospitalisations, highlighting the regional disparities and the critical need for adaptation strategies.
Huiqi Chen is a Research Fellow in environmental epidemiology, focusing on the health burden and economic impacts of high temperatures and climate change across Europe, Brazil, and China. Her research aims to inform climate policy, including both mitigation and adaptation strategies, to reduce climate-related health risks.
Isabel Byrne, LSHTM: Climate change, malaria and NTDs: results from WHO scoping review (recorded)
This review explores the predicted effects of climate change on malaria and the 20 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and the potential amelioration of these effects through climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. From over 42,000 publications, 572 studies were synthesized, revealing that climate shifts may expand transmission areas and intensity for diseases like malaria and dengue, highlighting the need for further targeted research and surveillance to safeguard health progress globally.
Isabel Byrne is a Research Fellow and staff PhD candidate, and part of the Drakeley Group in the Department of Infection Biology. She is interested in how the environment, and the changes we make to the environment, impact vector-borne diseases, especially malaria. She is currently undertaking part-time PhD under the EU horizons and UKRI funded PvSTATEM project in Ethiopia and Madagascar, investigating the impacts of spatial heterogeneity of disease on randomised control trials. From 2020-2023, she worked on various projects as a Research Assistant, including the Improving Human Health (IHH) flagship of Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) research programme, and the Freedom From Infection (FFI) for malaria team.
Jessica Gerard, LSHTM: Understanding the Linkages and Sectoral Research Questions on Climate Change, Hygiene and Health
Anthropogenic climate change disrupts hygiene behaviours and health outcomes by impacting water, sanitation, and supplies; however, understanding of the specific linkages between climate change and hygiene remains limited. To address this gap, we reviewed existing evidence, developed a conceptual framework, and selected the CHNRI method to establish a consensus-based research agenda, conducting 52 key informant interviews across 17 countries to identify priorities, with emerging preliminary interests in water usage trade-offs, disease burden quantification, and equity in climate-resilient WASH infrastructure.
Jessica Gerard is a research assistant with the London School of Hygiene Environmental Health Group and alumnus, with an MSc in Control of Infectious Diseases. Currently, she works on an RGHI-funded study aimed at developing a research agenda on the links between climate, hygiene and health. Her previous experience includes translating evidence on climate change and health to policy in Kenya, as well as conducting research on climate, urban planning and both communicable and non-communicable health risks in South and North America.
- 15:10: Session 4: Solutions for health and the environment
Chair: Dr Sarah Whitmee, Assistant Professor, LSHTM
Dr Peninah Murage, Assistant Professor, LSHTM (online)
Amanda Quintana, LSHTM: Learning Health Systems during Crisis: Understanding the Health Sector’s Response to the 2017/18 Cape Town Drought, South Africa
This project captured learnings from the Western Cape provincial health sector’s response to the 2017/18 drought where findings revealed the Western Cape health system undertook a range of actions to manage drought impacts and ensure health service delivery. Critical to the health sector’s management of the drought response were a series of identified health system ‘software’ and ‘hardware’ elements that can support the health system resilience to future droughts and climate risks.
Amanda Quintana is a global environmental health professional with experience in international health and development, program management, and implementation. Amanda is a PhD candidate at LSHTM, investigating climate resilient health systems in South Africa. Amanda is also the Climate and Health Technical Lead at Abt Global where she leads and supports the integration of climate change into health programs, such as global health system strengthening projects, and leads climate and health strategy development. Previously, Amanda worked for the USAID Global Health Bureau, supporting the delivery of maternal and child health and immunization interventions as well as climate risk management for Bureau projects.
Dr Jakob Petersen, LSHTM: CoSine – Co-benefits in health from Sustainable housing: Evaluating energy efficiency retrofits and health outcomes in Northeast London
Improving the energy performance of homes, can alleviate energy poverty, reduce excess winter mortality, and address a range of health issues associated with substandard housing, such as cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, wellbeing and mental health challenges. The project will measure health co-benefits of energy efficiency retrofits for energy poor households in Northeast London with real-world, administrative data while capturing stakeholder views.
Dr Jakob Petersen is a quantitative researcher specialising in the evaluation of complex interventions, natural experiments, social determinants of health, and housing interventions. He is currently researching the impacts of landlord licencing in the private rental sector as part of an NIHR-funded mixed methods study.
Rebecca Newbould, LSHTM: Shifting Gears to Active Travel: Three Rapid Reviews to Support Healthy Urban Policy
Active transport offers a clear path to help achieve health and climate goals in the UK. Through three AI-supported rapid reviews, this project provides local authorities with targeted evidence on active travel – spotlighting effective framing strategies, economic benefits, and planning policies to promote impactful change.
Rebecca Newbould is a Research Assistant for the Pathfinder Initiative, dedicated to advancing policies that promote both climate and health through research. Formerly a dentist, she transitioned to public health research after completing an MSc in Health Policy at LSHTM & LSE. Her current research focuses on the health co-benefits of climate actions, including synthesising evidence for policy and strengthening research capacity. She is particularly interested in how climate-friendly urban planning impacts health outcomes, aiming to shape policies for healthier, more sustainable communities.
- 16:10: Break
- 16:30: Session 5: Careers in planetary health
Panel discussion with:
Dr Pauline Scheelbeek, Associate Professor & Programme Co-Director of the MSc Climate Change & Planetary Health, LSHTM
Maiyai Taal Hocheimy, GREAT Institute (online)
Ross Thompson, LSHTM & UKHSA
Dr Stella Atim, Research Fellow - Peter Piot Fellowship, MRC Unit Uganda, LSHTM
Chaired by:
Genevieve Hadida, Research Assistant, LSHTM
And Blanca Anton, Research Fellow, LSHTM
- 17:15: Celebrating 125 years of LSHTM & the future of climate change and health
- Professor Liam Smeeth, Director, LSHTM
- 17:25: Reception drinks & canapes
Read more about LSHTM's journey to net zero, including sustainability themes that apply to all our events.
Admission
Contact