London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the UNFCCC (COP28) in Dubai is an opportunity for leaders to change course and accelerate progress towards climate goals, while prioritising health and equity in policies and actions. For the first time, health has been included as a thematic day at COP, providing an opportunity to highlight health in the global climate agenda.

LSHTM will be actively engaging in COP28 to present the latest scientific evidence on both the health impacts of climate change and solutions we can implement to achieve a just and healthy transition to net zero. Our researchers will present on a range of topics including the health co-benefits of climate action, heat and maternal and child health, climate resilient net-zero health systems, climate change and food systems, and healthy sustainable cities.

Find us at COP28 at the following events (events are shown in Dubai time, UTC+04:00):

1 December

17:00-18:00 - Young children, cities and a changing climate: an interdisciplinary consultation to co-design the Children, Cities and Climate (CCC) Action Lab

• Location: Greening Education Hub (Green Zone) 
• Organisers: Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Development Authority, LSHTM, CCC Action Lab
• LSHTM co-organisers and contributors: Dr Robert Hughes & Rachel Juel
• Read the event page for more information.

2 December

10:30-11:30 - Voices from the ground: Building Climate Resilient Health Systems through Locally-Led Action

• Location: Resilience Hub - please note: to watch this event online, you will need to register for the Resilience Hub Virtual Platform.
• Organisers: Abt Associates, South South North, Health Systems Global (LSHTM), WaterAid
• LSHTM Co-hosts & Speakers: Amanda Quintana & Professor Susannah Mayhew (virtual)
• Event Overview: This session highlights the ways in which community-level activities - from health system strengthening, resilience, locally-led adaptation, as well as examples of indigenous and community-led interventions - have created opportunities to improve health systems resilience. The session concludes with key takeaways and way forward for embedding community-led actions and principles, prioritising programming principles to build climate resilient health systems, as well as implications for governance, national policies, and planning/management strategies.

18:00-20:00 - LSHTM Dubai Alumni Gathering

• Location: Premier Inn Dubai Ibn Battuta Hotel
• Organisers: LSHTM
• Event Overview: Join LSHTM's Director, Professor Liam Smeeth and Head of Philanthropy, Mary-Alice McDevitt, at our exciting Alumni Gathering in Dubai, where academics from LSHTM’s Centre for Climate Change & Planetary Health will share their newest research and insights. Not only is it a great way to network and stay connected with your LSHTM friends, but your ticket will also contribute to the LSHTM Scholarship Fund, which will help break financial barriers and support the next generation of leaders. This event is open to all alumni, staff and students of LSHTM, as well as external public health professionals. Registration is required - tickets are available here. 

3 December

08:00-09:30 - A Roadmap to Expand Capacity for Evidence-Informed Climate-Resilient Health Systems in Africa

• Location: Kenya House Pavilion
• Organisers: African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), LSHTM, Government partners from the Ministries of Health in Kenya and Malawi.
• LSHTM Speaker: Dr Ariel Brunn
• Event Overview: This side event is set against the backdrop of increasing efforts to prioritize health within climate change action in Africa. It acknowledges the broad spectrum of adverse health impacts caused by climate change and recognizes the need for a more robust evidence base to inform policies and actions in Africa. The event will showcase the collaborative efforts of partners speaking, and engage a diverse group of stakeholders to contribute ideas and recommendations for evidence-driven policies and actions that prioritise health.

12:45-13:45 - How Ambitious Emission Reductions Can Save Lives

• Location: GCA Al Wakri (Arena 2), Expo City. 
• Organisers: COP28 Presidency, WHO, Wellcome Trust
• Speaker: Joy Phumaphi (Co-Chair of the Pathfinder Initiative), presenting on behalf of the Pathfinder Initiative
• Event Overview: Taking rapid and ambitious action to address the climate crisis and reach the goals of the Paris Agreement is critical to protecting lives and livelihoods. This event will highlight the health opportunities of ambitious climate mitigation policies, both in terms of reduced climate impacts and possible co-benefits of specific mitigation actions across key fields including energy, transport and agriculture.

13:40-14:30 - Co-designing healthier, more sustainable urban futures for young people

• Location: Children & Youth Pavilion
• Organisers: LSHTM, CCC Action Lab, YOUNGO
• LSHTM Co-organisers and Contributors: Dr Robert Hughes & Rachel Juel
• Read the event page for more information.

16:45-18:15 - Gender and Environment Data Alliance: Roots of Change

• Location: GEDA Side Event: SE Room 7
• Organisers: Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), Asian Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Women Environmental Programme (WEP)
• LSHTM Speaker: Dr Meghna Ranganathan
• Event overview: This event will explore the latest trends at the intersection of gender, climate and environment data - highlighting the most urgent gaps in research, connections to the IPCC report and how these gaps relate to the Global Stocktake.

4 December

08:00-09:00 - Roundtable: Pests and our planet – tackling the spreading vector threat

• Location: Goals House
• Organisers: Reckitt, Arctech, LSHTM
• LSHTM Panellist: Dr Robert Hughes
• Event overview: This event will explore the latest trends at the intersection of gender, climate and environment data - highlighting the most urgent gaps in research, connections to the IPCC report and how these gaps relate to the Global Stocktake.

12:00-13:00 - Health as an entry point for SDG/climate synergy: a focus on cities, air pollution and justice

• Location: SDG Pavilion
• Organisers: UrbanBetter & University of Cambridge
• LSHTM Speaker: Dr Sarah Whitmee

14:00-15:00 - Climate change and violence against women: Zero degrees of separation

• Location: Action Arena 1 (Al Hur), Expo City
• Organisers: COP28 Presidency, Spotlight Initiative
• LSHTM Speaker: Dr Meghna Ranganathan
• Event overview: Spotlight Initiative — one of 12 High-Impact Initiatives of the 2023 SDG Summit — is hosting a talk show-style conversation on the linkages between climate change and gender-based violence, and the women and girls'-centred solutions to accelerate global climate action.

16:00-16:45 - Interlinkages between violence against women and climate change: the importance of investment in prevention strategies

• Location: League of Arab States (LAS) Pavilion
• Organisers: League of Arab States, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Arab States Regional Office (ASRO)
• LSHTM Speaker: Dr Meghna Ranganathan

5 December

09:30-10:45 - Harnessing the health co-benefits of climate action

• Location: Health Pavilion
• Organisers: LSHTM, C40 Cities, CDP, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, AFIDEP, APHRC, OECD, SDSN (partners of the Pathfinder Initiative)
• LSHTM Speaker: Dr Sarah Whitmee
• Read the event page for more information.

12:00-13:00 - Birth in a Burning World: Action for Maternal and Newborn Health and Justice

• Location: Resilience Hub - please note: to watch this event online, you will need to register for the Resilience Hub Virtual Platform.
• Organisers: LSHTM, Clinton Health Action Initiative, Human Rights Watch
• LSHTM Co-host: Dr Sari Kovats
• Read the event page for more information.

15:00-16:30 - Accelerating a just transition for healthy people and a healthy planet

• Location: UNFCCC Side Event - SE Room 4
• Organisers: GCHA, Healthcare Without Harm, LSHTM, UCL, World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA)
• LSHTM Speaker: Dr Sarah Whitmee
• Read the event page for more information.

8 December

09:30-10:45 - Climate Action Delivering for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health: Gaps and Opportunities

• Location: Health Pavilion
• Organisers: The CHAMNA Project and High Horizons, LSHTM, UNFPA, WHO, Amref Health Africa and International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
• LSHTM Co-host: Professor Veronique Filippi
• Read the event page for more information.

11:15-12:30 - Co-designing healthier, more sustainable urban futures for young people

• Location: Health Pavilion
• Organisers: YOUNGO, LSHTM, CCC Action Lab, YLabs C40 Cities, UrbanBetter
• LSHTM Co-organisers and Contributors: Dr Robert Hughes & Rachel Juel
• Read the event page for more information.

14:00-15:00 - Nourishing the Planet, Sustaining Futures: Reimagining School Meals for Planetary Health and Child Health

• Location: Al-Waha, WCAS Theatre, Expo
• Organisers: School Meals Coalition Secretariat (inc. LSHTM), the COP28 Presidency
• LSHTM Speaker: Professor Donald Bundy
• Event overview: The Research Consortium will present the White paper and its key recommendations. A fireside chat will feature countries and partners who have made a commitment to support Kenya’s efforts in piloting a climate-friendly school meals programme.

16:15-17:00 - School meals and food systems: Rethinking the consequences for climate, environment, biodiversity and food sovereignty

• Location: Connect Conference Centre (Green Zone)
• Organisers: RewirED and the Research Consortium for School Health & Nutrition, LSHTM
• LSHTM Speakers: Professor Donald Bundy, Professor Marco Springmann & Dr Silvia Pastorino
• Event overview: This session will launch the Research Consortium’s planet-friendly school meals White paper and describe what can we learn from countries that have already introduced policies to make their school meals programmes planet-friendly. The event will feature School Meals Coalition member states that are committing to adopt planet-friendly school meals policies, with a focus on the motivations and implications of these commitments. 

9 December

13:30-14:45 - Synergizing to increase ambition on net zero – working with global health supply chains

• Location: Health Pavilion
• Organisers: Aga Khan (AK) Development Network, LSHTM, AK University, AK Health Services, NHS England, BSI, Lancet Commission on Sustainable Healthcare
• LSHTM Speaker: Professor Fawzia Rasheed

10 December

11:00-12:00 - Early warning systems for health decision making

• Location: Climate Registry 1.5 Pathways Pavilion
• Organisers: Abt Associates, AGU, NOAA, LSHTM
• LSHTM Speakers: Amanda Quintana & Dr Sari Kovats
• Event overview: This session aims to build on the conversations held at the 2023 Climate and Health for Africa Conference, where 15 African nations, U.S. Government entities, the World Health Organization, World Meteorological Organization, and others came together to share research gaps and application needs in early warning for heat and infectious disease across Africa. This session will highlight advancements in early warning systems for health while stimulating discussion between researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to advance climate-based health early warning.

15:15-16:30 - Tackling Micronutrient Malnutrition in a Warming World

• Location: Health Pavilion
• Organisers: UKRI GCRF Action Against Stunting Hub, LSHTM, GAIN, Micronutrient Forum, STNC, WHO, SUNM, Food Fortification Initiative, International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, SEAMEO, Universite Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar
• LSHTM Speaker: Professor Claire Heffernan

You can see the full thematic COP28 programme here.

Research areas and projects represented by LSHTM at COP28:

Centre on Climate Change & Planetary Health (CCCPH)

Part of LSHTM, the CCCPH covers a wide range of topics relating to climate change and planetary health (many listed below), and was set up to respond to the challenge of a changed planet. The CCCPH is also a WHO Collaborating Centre on Climate Change, Health and Sustainable Development.

Contacts at COP: Professor Liam Smeeth; Dr Sarah Whitmee; Dr Robert Hughes

Pathfinder Initiative

The Pathfinder Initiative aims to accelerate the transition to net zero through providing practical, evidence-based emissions reduction pathways that also benefit health. Recent outputs led by LSHTM include the report of the Lancet Pathfinder Commission and the Pathfinder Climate & Health Evidence Bank.

Contacts at COP: Dr Sarah Whitmee; Dr Robert Hughes; Dr Iris Blom; Professor Andy Haines (virtual)

Children, Cities and Climate Action Lab

Children, Cities and Climate aims to understand and communicate young people’s views of their cities and assess the public health co-benefits of improving urban environments. They partner with YLabs, UrbanBetter, and C40 Cities to deliver evidence, youth engagement, and political action for young people's health, in cities effected by climate change.

Contacts at COP: Dr Robert Hughes; Rachel Juel

Climate Resilient Health Systems

LSHTM researchers are studying the factors influencing the implementation of climate adaptation policy for health at the subnational level to better understand climate resilient health systems.

Contact at COP: Amanda Quintana; Dr Ariel Brun (virtual)

Heat and maternal child health

LSHTM researchers are examining the impact of heat exposure on pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes and breastfeeding, with the aim of informing evidence-based interventions, through work at our MRC Unit the Gambia, the CHAMNHA Project, High Horizons, and Extram Sen project (extreme temperatures and maternal and child health in Senegal: between resilience and action).

Contacts at COP: Amanda Quintana; Professor Susannah Mayhew (virtual); Professor Veronique Filippi (virtual); Dr Sari Kovats (virtual) 

Gendered impacts of climate change

This research focuses on building the evidence base on the linkages between climate change impacts and gender-based violence, and community-led interventions to strengthen climate resilience and protect women and girls.

Contact at COP: Dr Meghna Ranganathan

Mitigation of health care systems

This research focuses on advancing Low- and Middle-Income health systems by integrating greenhouse gas mitigation with adaptation to climate change health threats, supported by the current momentum around sustainable healthcare and the COP26 health commitments. This necessitates evidence-based mitigation interventions for healthcare systems in LMICs, exploring their interplay with adaptation strategies. LSHTM also works closely with the Aga Khan Health Services on working with global health supply chains to increase net-zero ambitions.

Contacts at COP: Dr Iris Blom; Professor Fawzia Rasheed

Climate Change & Food Systems

LSHTM researchers are evaluating both the impact of food systems on the environment and the effect of a changing environment on food systems, generating evidence to support policy makers to identify solutions that deliver healthy and sustainable diets, through the SHEFS and FACE-Africa projects.

Contacts at COP: Professor Marco Springmann; Dr Silvia Pastorino

Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition (School Meals Coalition)

The Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition is a global research initiative established to provide independent evidence and policy guidance on the design, cost, implementation and impact of school meals programmes to the 90+ countries of the School Meals Coalition.

Contacts at COP: Professor Donald Bundy; Professor Marco Springmann; Dr Silvia Pastorino

UKRI GCRF Action Against Stunting Hub

LSHTM is part of this consortium of 17 partners aiming to develop innovative tools and solutions to help prevent stunting in children, an effect of inadequate nutrition, and tackle malnutrition in a warming world.

Contact at COP: Professor Claire Heffernan

MSc Climate Change & Planetary Health

Our MSc is designed to understand the connection between the environment and human health to create a liveable planet for future generations. Unravel the impact of climate change on diverse populations around the world and analyse how our behaviour influences the planet. You’ll build confidence in assessing links, anticipating problems, finding solutions and intervening early, as well as developing specialist skills to become an agent of change. Study one year full-time, part-time or split-study over two years. Find out more. 

Contact Us

For general enquiries about LSHTM at COP28, please contact Ellie Darbey (ellie.darbey@lshtm.ac.uk; in-person delegate), or Sarah Sharpe (sarah.sharpe@lshtm.ac.uk; virtual delegate).

For media enquiries, please contact press@lshtm.ac.uk.

For philanthropy enquiries, please contact Mary-Alice McDevitt (mary-alice.mcdevitt@lshtm.ac.uk; in-person delegate).