The Future of Health and Health Care in a Changing Climate

Organised in partnership with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David

The health and development of humanity have advanced greatly, albeit inequitably, particularly since the middle of the last century. However these advances have been based on the unsustainable exploitation of natural systems, resulting in dramatic environmental changes including climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification and freshwater depletion. These pervasive and unprecedented trends have led to the increasing use of the term 'Anthropocene Epoch' to describe the dominant role of human activities as the major driving force. Global environmental changes threaten to halt, and potentially reverse, the advances in health and development, in absence of decisive action. This lecture will summarise the major threats to the health of humanity arising from global environmental changes and suggest policies which can help to sustain health in the Anthropocene Epoch whilst reducing the environmental footprint of societies.

Originally a medical doctor and consultant epidemiologist, Professor Sir Andy Haines is Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). He was Director of LSHTM from 2001 to 2010, during which time it received the 2009 Award for Global Health from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. During his career, Sir Andy has worked in Jamaica, Nepal, the USA and Canada. He has chaired the Medical Research Council’s Global Health Group, and has contributed to reports by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Trefnir y digwyddiad hwn mewn partneriaeth â Phrifysgol Cymru y Drindod Dewi Sant.

Ers canol y ganrif ddiwethaf, cafwyd cynnydd sylweddol, os anghyfartal, o ran iechyd a datblygiad y ddynoliaeth. Fodd bynnag mae’r datblygiadau hyn yn seiliedig ar ecsbloetio systemau naturiol mewn modd anghynaladwy, gan arwain at newidiadau amgylcheddol dramatig gan gynnwys newid hinsawdd, colli bioamrywiaeth, asideiddio’r cefnfor a disbyddu dŵr croyw. Mae’r tueddiadau treiddiol digynsail hyn wedi arwain at ddefnydd cynyddol o’r term ‘Cyfnod Anthropogenaidd’ i ddisgrifio rôl drechol gweithgareddau’r ddynoliaeth yn brif sbardun. Mae newidiadau amgylcheddol byd-eang yn bygwth atal, ac o bosibl gwrthdroi’r cynnydd mewn iechyd a datblygiad, yn absenoldeb gweithredu pendant. Bydd y ddarlith hon yn crynhoi’r prif fygythiadau i iechyd y ddynoliaeth sy’n codi o newidiadau amgylcheddol byd-eang ac yn awgrymu polisïau a allai helpu i gynnal iechyd yn y Cyfnod Anthropogenaidd a lleihau ôl troed amgylcheddol cymdeithasau.

Yn wreiddiol roedd yr Athro Sir Andy Haines yn feddyg ac epidemiolegydd ymgynghorol. Erbyn hyn mae’n Athro Newid Amgylcheddol ac Iechyd Cyhoeddus yn Ysgol Hylendid a Meddygaeth Drofannol Llundain (LSHTM). Bu’n gyfarwyddwr LSHTM o 2001 i 2010, ac yn ystod y cyfnod hwn enillodd y sefydliad Wobr 2009 am Iechyd Byd-eang gan Sefydliad Bill & Melinda Gates. Yn ystod ei yrfa, mae Syr Andy wedi gweithio yn Jamaica, Nepal, yr Unol Daleithiau a Canada. Mae wedi cadeirio Grŵp Iechyd Byd-eang y Cyngor Ymchwil Meddygol ac wedi cyfrannu at adroddiadau Panel Rhynglywodraethol y DU ar Newid Hinsawdd.