Events

AHSC seminar: Understanding and tackling the health impacts of climate change

Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre and the Grantham Institute – Climate Change and Environment – are working to respond to the rising healthcare challenges caused by climate change.

At this joint seminar, two experts will talk about their research into monitoring air quality within London communities and the impact of climate change on mental health.

Dr Emma Lawrance, Mental Health Innovations Fellow at the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, will talk about a report she led that presents substantial evidence that climate change has a detrimental and multi-faceted impact on mental health, with significant costs to individuals, health systems and economies that are currently unaccounted for in policy and practice.

Dr Lawrance will also talk about the report’s recommendations to stimulate greater knowledge, awareness and action for policy makers, research institutions, mental health practitioners and health systems, and non-governmental organisations.

Dr Benjamin Barratt, Reader in Environmental Exposures & Public Health and Deputy Director of the Environmental Research Group at Imperial, will talk about leading a project to fight London’s air pollution. More than 100 low-cost sensors have been installed at hospitals, schools and other priority locations, giving communities access to affordable and reliable air quality data for the first time as part of the project.

Dr Barratt will also be talking about leading the Breathe London Wearables air quality monitoring project. This citizen science project entailed hundreds of children wearing backpacks to monitor air quality when travelling between home and school. This led to children and families being able to make decisions to reduce their personal exposure to pollution, such as walking to school a street away from the main road. Such is the success of the project that it will soon launch in Birmingham and Liverpool.

This is a free online event. An automated email with details on how to join the webinar will be sent to registered attendees closer to the date.