Global Health and Justice in a Changing Environment
Event Information
Description
"Climate change is the biggest threat to global health of the 21st Century."
This was the conclusion of a report in the Lancet, a leading medical journal, in 2009, and the effects are not only direct but also indirect, for example through food and water insecurity, migration and conflict. They are closely linked to other major global environmental changes such as ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss. And, without action to cut emissions and to adapt to the changes which are unavoidable, we will continue to see worsening health impacts of the sort of extreme weather currently affecting the UK.
At the same time, there is a growing evidence base that policies that benefit the environment have great potential to improve health over the long term, through energy, transport and food policy - and the UK's health system is already taking some steps to become more sustainable and resilient. Interested in learning more about the challenges, solutions, and how you can get involved?
Watch the promo video here, and come along for interactive workshops and talks from leading experts, and to meet others who are passionate about tackling these issues. The weekend will be a mix of plenary and interactive smaller workshop sessions, and a Saturday night social.
Further information - Facebook event
We are very grateful to UCL Institute of Global Health for hosting the conference free of charge, and to the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare and the Health and Environment Alliance for their support.
Practical Info:
Food and drink: Although originally we thought we would be unable to provide lunch, this situation has changed and a sandwich lunch will now be included in the ticket price (as well as tea and coffee). To minimise waste, we would be very grateful if you could bring a bottle of water and a cup/mug from home, but we will have disposible ones available for those who can't.
Refunds: If the event is cancelled, you are entitled to a refund of the face value of the ticket. If the event is rescheduled, your tickets will be valid and if you can't make the rescheduled date, then you're entitled to a full refund. If you can no longer attend the event or you've changed your mind about going, this will not qualify for a refund, so please only book when you are sure of your availability.
Target audience: Students, young people and recent graduates (though anyone is welcome!)
You can find the full list of confirmed speakers here. They include:
- Professor Sir Andy Haines, review editor for the health chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s 5th Assessment Report;
- Professor Virginia Murray, the UK government’s Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection and an editor of the IPCC’s Special Report on Extreme Events;
- Dr. Louise Newport, Scientific Policy Manager for Climate Change Adaptation at the UK Department of Health;
- Professor Tim Lang (Professor of Food Policy, Centre for Food Policy, City University);
- Professor Andrew Watkinson, director of the Living With Environmental Change programme and former director of the Tyndall Centre;
- Dr. David Pencheon, Director of the NHS and Public Health England Sustainable Development Unit;
- Ms. Rachel Stancliffe, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, Oxford
& many other leading experts in fields related to climate change, sustainability, health and social justice, listed at the bottom of this page.
- Sustainable food and transport systems in tackling non-communicable diseases
- Population growth, gender and reproductive rights
- Energy policy, air pollution and health
- UK policy & health system responses to our changing climate
& a wide range of small-group workshop options, including:
- Water and sanitation in the context of climate change
- Building a sustainable and resilient health system: the role of students
- Health and disaster risk reduction
- Climate change and health advocacy: learning from UKYCC's rapid response work
- How does climate change and health fit into the post-2015 agenda and UNFCCC process
- Population & reproductive rights - the case for joint advocacy
- Practical steps towards sustainable healthcare: adapting the GreenImpact scheme to hospitals
- The Energy Bill Revolution campaign: why we need to end fuel poverty, and how you can help
- Re-imagining the future city: inspiring children, informing policy
- Cleaner air for healthier people: the Healthy Air campaign
- Communicating climate change, and how to write a press release
- The health impacts of coal power - implications for UK and EU energy policy
- Divestment and the UCL Fossil Free campaign
- Healthy Planet's schools volunteering project: the next steps
Contact information:
Ruth Laurence-King and May Zhang (UCL Healthy Planet, National Conference co-presidents) at healthyplanetucl@gmail.com
or Izzy Braithwaite (national coordinator) at healthyplanet@medsin.org.
Other speakers:
Prof. Tim Lang
(Professor of Food Policy, Centre for Food Policy, City University)
Dr. David McCoy
(Chair of MedAct; Senior Clinical Lecturer, Queen Mary University, London)
Julia Huscher
(Coal and Health Policy Manager, Health and Environment Alliance)
Prof. Mark Maslin FRGS, FRSA
(Professor of Climatology, UCL)
Prof. Graham Scambler
(Emeritus Professor of Sociology, UCL)
Dr. Ilan Kelman
(Fellow, UCL Institute of Disaster Risk Reduction)
Simon Birkett
(Founder and Director, Clean Air in London campaign)
Dr. Robert Biel
(Senior Lecturer, UCL Development Planning Unit)
Organiser Healthy Planet UK
Organiser of Global Health and Justice in a Changing Environment
We are a network of students and young people across the UK who are passionate about the relationship between global environmental change and health, and about the solutions at a range of levels - from policy to institutional to individual. Healthy Planet is an official campaign within Medsin-UK (www.medsin.org).
Our key areas of work are:
- Education: including non-formal training and peer-to-peer teaching and work to get more teaching on these subjects into the curriculum.
- Policy and advocacy: at local, national and international levels, both on climate policy and on local healthcare policy related to sustainability
- Local action: this is integrally linked to the other two, but includes speaker events, films screenings, events with young people in schools and other awareness-raising activities.
- Connecting up with other young people interested in climate & health around the world, working to share resources and build capacity.
Information about the UCL committee, who are organising the conference, is available here.
