London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The large gap between the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions necessary to achieve the Paris Agreement and currently projected emission trajectories emphasises the urgent need for rapid climate action. While we are currently not on track to achieve global climate goals, we still have a narrow window of opportunity to avert catastrophic climate breakdown, improve health and save lives.  

This two-day symposium, hosted online by LSHTM’s Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, will focus on the latest scientific evidence on the health impacts of climate change and explore solutions we can implement to achieve a just transition to net-zero and ensure healthy, sustainable futures for people and the planet.  

Themes of each session align with key focus areas of the COP27 programme. 

Programme  Day 1 - Wednesday 5 October 2022

11.00-12.30 BST: Session 1 – Health impacts of climate change  

Chairs: Dr Maria Neira & Mohamed Eissa 

• 11.00-11.07: Welcome and introduction 
  • Speakers:  
    • Dr Maria Neira Director, Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO 
    • Mohamed Eissa, Medical Student and Liaison Officer for Public Health Issues, IFMSA 
• 11.07-11.17: Health impacts of heat and mapping temperature-related mortality risks 
  • Speaker: Professor Antonio Gasparrini, Professor of Biostatistics and epidemiology, LSHTM 
• 11.17-11.27: Effects of heat stress on pregnant subsistence farmers in West Africa 
  • Speaker: Dr Ana Bonell, Wellcome Trust Global Health Clinical PhD Fellow at LSHTM/ MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM 
• 11.27-11.37: Changing patterns of infectious diseases 
  • Speaker: Dr Kris Murray, Associate Professor Environment and Health, LSHTM 
• 11.37-11.47: Climate change, crop yields, and child survival in subsistence farmer communities in Sub Saharan Africa 
  • Speaker: Dr Kristine Belesova, Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, LSHTM 
• 11.47-11.50: Comments from Dr Maria Neira  
• 11.50-11.55: Climate change and mental health 
  • Speaker: Dr Elaine Flores, Planetary Health Research Fellow, LSHTM 
• 11.55-12.30: Panel discussion  

14.00-15.30 BST: Session 2 – Adaptation, agriculture and food systems  

Chair: Dr Patrizia Fracassi 

• 14.00-14.05: Welcome and Introduction 
  • Speaker: Dr Patrizia Fracassi, Senior Nutrition and Food Systems Officer, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) 
• 14.05-14.25: Building healthy, equitable and sustainable food systems in the UK, South Africa and India  
  • Speakers:  
    • Dr Rosemary Green, Associate Professor in Sustainability, Nutrition and Health 
    • Dr Patricia Eustachio Colombo, Research Associate, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Visiting Research Fellow LSHTM
• 14.25-14.45: Food systems adaptations in Africa   
  • Speakers:  
    • Zakari Ali, Research degree student, MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM 
    • Tony Carr, Research Fellow, LSHTM 
• 14.45-14.55: Improving rice cultivation practices for agriculture and health co-benefits 
  • Speaker: Professor Jo Lines, Professor of Malaria Control and Vector Biology at LSHTM 
• 14.55-15.30: Panel Discussion 

Programme Day 2 - Thursday 6 October 2022

11.00-12.30 BST: Session 3 – Health co-benefits of climate actions  

Chair: Sir Andy Haines 

• 11.00-11.05: Welcome and introduction 
  • Speaker: Sir Andy Haines, Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health, LSHTM 
• 11.05-11:15: Resilient net zero health care systems 
  • Speakers:  
    • Iris Blom, Research degree student of epidemiology and population health, LSHTM 
    • Amanda Quintana, Research degree student of public health policy, LSHTM 
• 11.15-11.25: Health co-benefits of climate mitigation actions in cities 
  • Speaker: Dr James Milner, Assistant Professor, LSHTM 
• 11.25-11.40: Insights from the Pathfinder Initiative on the health benefits of climate solutions 
  • Speakers:  
    • Blanca Anton, Research Assistant, LSHTM  
    • Tamzin Reynolds, Research Assistant, LSHTM  
• 11.40-11.45: Nature Based Solutions 
  • Speaker: Dr Peninah Murage, Assistant Professor in Environmental Epidemiology, LSHTM 
• 11.45-11:55: LSHTM’s commitment to sustainability 
  • Speaker: Professor Liam Smeeth, Director of LSHTM and Professor of Clinical Epidemiology 
• 11.55-12.30: Panel discussion 

14.00-15.30 BST: Session 4 – Youth perspectives on creating healthy, sustainable cities  

Chair: Ishita Yadav 

• 14.00-14.05: Welcome and introduction 
  • Speaker: Ishita Yadav, YOUNGO Cities Working Group Coordinator and Cities, Climate and Health Youth Advisory Group Co-Chair 
• 14.05-2.25: Children, Cities and Climate – research findings on the child health co-benefits of decarbonising cities and global youth surveys 
  • Speakers:  
    • Dr Robert Hughes, Clinical Research Fellow, LSHTM and Principal Investigator of Children, Cities and Climate 
    • Rachel Juel, Research Assistant, Children, Cities and Climate 
• 14.25-14.45: Addressing climate, health and equity together for sustainable cities of the future  
  • Speakers:  
    • Geoffrey Mboya, HundrEDOrg and We Don’t Have Time Youth Advisor and Cities, Climate and Health Youth Advisory Group Co-Chair
    • Rhiannon Osborne, People’s Health Movement UK Co-Coordinator and Cities, Climate and Health Youth Advisor 
• 14.45-14.55: Youth climate and health priorities for COP27 and beyond 
  • Speaker: Saad Uakkas, Regional Coordinator for North Africa, African Youth Initiative on Climate Change
• 14.55-15.30: Panel discussion  

Recording links 

Day 1 - Wednesday 5 October 2022

Day 2 - Thursday 6 October 2022