European Climate and Health Responders Course
Introduction
The climate change crisis in Europe has been associated with a variety of health related impacts. Rising temperatures have led to an increase in heat waves during the summer months, resulting in more frequent incidences of heat-related illnesses and strain placed on healthcare systems. Changes in precipitation patterns and extreme weather events, including floods and storms, can lead to injuries, displacement, and the spread of waterborne diseases. Moreover, altered climate conditions contribute to the shifting distribution of vector-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus. Changes in ecosystems affect allergenic pollen distribution, impacting individuals with respiratory conditions. Educating professionals and healthcare workers about the impacts of climate change on health in Europe is essential for enhancing preparedness, resilience, and fostering a proactive approach to safeguard the well-being of communities throughout the region.
The goal of this course is to act as a flagship initiative to engage and educate the public health, wider health workforce, and other professionals interested in climate change and health to facilitate participation and engagement in policy and advocacy related to climate adaptation and mitigation as well as research that supports decision making across sectors.
Audience
All professionals interested in climate and health are welcome!
Live Course Primary Language: English
Course Structure
The course will consist of weekly live-virtual sessions (90 minutes). There will be a live question and answer, which will be monitored by the program team and questions will be consolidated and addressed to expert lecturers. All lectures will be delivered in English. Resources such as slide decks, frameworks and suggested readings will be provided to all course participants following each session. Video recordings will be available following each session for asynchronous view.
Session Topics & Resources
Session 1: FEB 06, Climate Change and Health
Video Recording(link is external and opens in a new window) | Slide Decks & Resources(link is external and opens in a new window)
Featuring:
- Lecture: Dr Marina Romanello, Lancet Countdown, INTERNATIONAL
- Organisational Case Study: Dr Eline Vanuytrecht, European Climate and Health Observatory, INTERNATIONAL
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Moderated by:
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Chiara Cadeddu, Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management- Rotterdam, NETHERLANDS
- Doris Zjalic, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, ITALY
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Description: The effects of climate change are already affecting morbidity, mortality, and society’s abilities to deliver healthcare around the world, and its impacts will only intensify in the coming years.This first session will introduce participants to key principles of the climate and health crisis. It will provide basic knowledge of the health effects of the climate crisis and the near-term benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It will also introduce three different holistic approaches to health and the importance of using systems thinking. Furthermore, it will explain the role of health professionals in addressing the climate crisis.
Learning Objectives:
- Define the climate crisis and basic terminology used to speak about the climate crisis (e.g. GHG emissions, adaptation, mitigation, resilience, etc.).
- Distinguish between “climate” and “weather,” and between climate change and climate variability.
- Explain the general mechanism of the greenhouse effect and describe how human activities, mainly the combustion of fossil fuels, are exacerbating this natural phenomenon.
- Explain the social dimensions of climate drivers, including population growth and economic growth.
- Describe major health outcomes associated with climate events, including both direct and indirect impacts, and their mechanisms.
- Discuss the three main different holistic approaches to health (one health, eco-health, planetary health).
- Use systems thinking to address climate-related health issues.
- Identify the role of health professionals in the climate crisis.
Session 2: FEB 13, Extreme Temperatures
Video Recording(link is external and opens in a new window) | Slide Decks & Resources (link is external and opens in a new window)
Featuring:
- Lecture: Dr Andrea E. Schmidt, Austrian Public Health Institute, AUSTRIA
- Case Study 1: Dr Filip Lefebre, VITO, BELGIUM
- Case Study 2: Dr Marco Morabito,National Research Council, ITALY
- Moderated by: Cat Pinho-Gomes, UCL, London, UNITED KINGOM
Description: This session will cover the impact of extreme temperatures, especially extreme heat, on population health, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups. It will also explain how our environment and behavior needs to change to reduce the impact of extreme heat on our health and how public health and healthcare systems need to adapt to respond to the increasingly common heat events. It will illustrate the concepts with case studies from Europe, where we have witnessed severe heat events over the past few Summers, with devastating consequences for population health.
Learning Objectives:
- To explain the impact of extreme temperatures, especially extreme heat, on health
- To identify factors that increase vulnerability to extremes of temperature, especially extreme heat
- To discuss how populations need to adapt to extreme temperatures, especially extreme heat, through changes in the built environment and individual behaviour
- To discuss how public health and healthcare systems need to adapt their emergency preparedness and response systems to protect the population from extreme temperatures.
Session 3: FEB 20, Wildfires and Air Quality
Video Recording(link is external and opens in a new window) | Slide Decks & Resources(link is external and opens in a new window)
Featuring:
- Lecture: Dr Tarik Benmarhnia, EHESP School of Public Health, FRANCE
- Case Study 1: Asst Prof Susana Viegas, Lisbon NOVA University, PORTUGAL
- Case Study 2: Dr George Sacharidis, University of Thessaly, GREECE
- Moderated by:
- Ianis Delpla, EHESP, Department of Environmental Sciences, France/Laval University, Department of land-use planning, CANADA
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Souzana Achilleos, DSc, Assistant Professor in Environmental Health, University of Nicosia Medical School
Description: This session will present the climate drivers controlling the wildfire risks and the main direct and indirect health outcomes associated, including for example the exacerbation of some respiratory diseases, including Covid-19. It will present the changing pattern of risks across Europe, and the main health issues associated. A special focus will also be made on the accuracy of health monitoring systems on the continent.
Learning Objectives:
- To understand the links between changes in precipitation regimes, elevated temperatures and increasing wildfires risks, and how climate change exacerbate these risks
- To identify health risks associated with wildfires smoke and degradation of air quality, with a focus on vulnerable populations
- To compare the risks associated with other sources of air pollutants, and to highlight the role of wildfire smoke on other diseases
- To understand how alert systems and policies could help to mitigate these risk
Session 4: FEB 27, Water Supply and Sanitation
Video Recording(link is external and opens in a new window) | Slide Decks & Resources(link is external and opens in a new window)
Featuring:
- Lecture: Prof Jan C. Semenza, Umea University, SWEDEN
- Case Study 1: Prof Annalaura Carducci, University of Pisa, ITALY
- Case Study 2: Prof Marija Jevtic, University of Novi Sad, SERBIA
- Moderated by: Ianis Delpla, EHESP, Department of Environmental Sciences, France/Laval University, Department of land-use planning, CANADA
Description: This session should present the main climate drivers that will impact distribution of waterborne diseases. The issues related to difficulties in maintaining a constant and safe water supply should be addressed (water quantity, related to droughts, changing precipitation patterns and increased evapotranspiration; and water quality-droughts, extreme events).
Learning Objectives:
- To explore the links between climate change and water as a determinant of health
- To understand the link between main drivers of climate change and its impacts on source and drinking water quality
- To discuss the adaptation actions possible to increase the resilience of water systems
- To understand how climate change could impede the achievement of SDG.
Session 5: MAR 05, Vector Borne/Zoonoses
Video Recording(link is external and opens in a new window) | Slide Decks & Resources(link is external and opens in a new window)
Featuring:
- Lecture: Prof Giovanni Rezza, Vita Salute San Raffaele University, ITALY
- Case Study 1: Prof Polychronis Kostoulas, University of Thessaly, GREECE
- Case Study 2: Prof Jan C. Semenza, Umea University, SWEDEN
- Moderated by:
- Tara Chen, ASPHER,
- Marie Nabbe, ASHPER Young Professional; HOPE - European Hospital and Healthcare Federation
Description: This session will provide an overview of the environmental processes of infectious disease. The course will highlight the changing result of climate change impacts and how they impact the prevalence, incidence and distribution of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases. It will also highlight the shifting geographic burdens of vector-borne/zoonotic diseases across the European region, and its impacts. Case studies will highlight vector-borne diseases including the rise of dengue fever across Southern Europe, and highlight vulnerable populations.
Learning Objectives:
- To identify the connection between habitat and biodiversity loss, climate change and infectious diseases
- To explore how climate change is leading to increased risk vector-borne (i.e., mosquitoes/ticks) and zoonotic diseases and their distribution patterns
- To discuss the impacts of temperature and climate modifications to vector, reservoir and pathogen life cycles
- To learn about health system adaptation actions and possibilities, such as early warning systems, and preparedness, prevention, response and recovery plans across organizations, such as the ECDC
Session 6: MAR 12, Pathways to a Healthy Net Zero Future
Video Recording(link is external and opens in a new window) | Slide Decks & Resources(link is external and opens in a new window)
Featuring:
- Lecture: Prof Andy Haines, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UNITED KINGDOM
- Case Study 1: Prof Vidmantas Vaiciulis, Lithuanian University of Health Studies, LITHUANIA
- Case Study 2: Ms Joséphine Bussiere, City of Paris, FRANCE
- Moderated by: Christiana Demetriou, Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University of Nicosia Medical School, Nicosia, CYPRUS
Description: Sustainable Lifestyles are considered as ways of living, social behaviors and choices, that minimize environmental degradation while supporting equitable socio-economic development and better quality of life for all. This session will describe sustainable lifestyles and their determinants, analyse expected, measurable benefits of specific sustainable lifestyle options (e.g., plant-based diets, active travel, behavior change) at the individual and societal level, and discuss strategies (at the individual and structural level) of equitably enabling sustainable lifestyles.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe sustainable lifestyles and their determinants, including the impact of inequalities in the ability to adopt sustainable lifestyles
- Analyse measurable benefits of sustainable lifestyle options at the individual and societal level
- Discuss strategies to equitably enable sustainable lifestyles at individual and structural levels
Session 7: MAR 19, Sustainable Health Care
Video Recording(link is external and opens in a new window) | Slide Decks & Resources(link is external and opens in a new window)
Featuring:
- Lecture: Prof Erik van Raaij, Erasmus University Rotterdam, NETHERLANDS
- Case Study 1: Mette Stokholm, New North Zealand Hospital, DENMARK
- Case Study 2: Dr Koonal Shah, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, UNITED KINGDOM
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Moderated by:
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Chiara Cadeddu, Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management- Rotterdam, NETHERLANDS
- Doris Zjalic, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, ITALY
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Description: This session will analyze the contribution of the healthcare sector to the climate crisis, its climate vulnerabilities and ways in which healthcare facilities can become more resilient in the face of increasingly frequent and severe weather events. It will discuss the terminology needed to understand different sources of GHG emissions (e.g. scope 1) and how to act to reduce them in the healthcare sector. It will also discuss existing reports and guidelines for the decarbonization of the healthcare sector that could be applied in different settings.
Learning Objectives:
- Define specific terminology used to describe different sources of GHG in relation to healthcare
- Explain the contribution of the healthcare sector to the climate crisis
- Discuss pathways and guidelines to decarbonize healthcare and achieve net zero carbon
- Apply the principles of "green health care" management, services and procurement
- Identify healthcare facility climate vulnerabilities and evaluate their ability to respond to severe weather events and/or climate disasters.
- Identify ways in which healthcare facilities can become more resilient in the face of increasingly severe and/or frequent climate-related weather extremes and help build community climate resilience.
Session 8: MAR 26, Climate Litigation and Health
Video Recording(link is external and opens in a new window) | Slide Decks & Resources(link is external and opens in a new window)
Featuring:
- Lecture: Asst Prof Marlies Hesselman, University of Groningen, NETHERLANDS
- Case Study 1: Barrister Richard Harvey, Greenpeace International, INTERNATIONAL
- Case Study 2: Dr Kim Bouwer, Assistant Professor in Law, Durham University, UNITED KINGDOM
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Moderated by:
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Chiara Cadeddu, Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management- Rotterdam, NETHERLANDS
- Doris Zjalic, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, ITALY
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Description: This session will explore the issue of climate litigation, with the aim of understanding the state of the art in terms of laws and regulations and key actors that could be involved. It will also increase knowledge and awareness of the opportunities offered by litigation in local, national and international courts and tribunals, of the crucial role and value of public health professionals in such processes, and of the importance of strategic partnerships with legal practitioners as part of strategies to tackle the climate emergency. Mechanisms and tools for strengthening the knowledge, skills and interdisciplinary collaboration in climate litigations will be also analysed.
Learning Objectives:
- Explain what climate litigation stands for and how it acts as a tool and strategy for climate action
- Analyze how, in addition to environmental harms, legal arguments are now referencing the health impacts on populations, including children and future generations.
- Examine previous experiences of climate litigations across EU and the world and how a public health professional could be involved.
Session 9: APR 02, Communication, Engagement and Advocacy in Climate Change
Video Recording(link is external and opens in a new window) | Slide Decks & Resources(link is external and opens in a new window)
Featuring:
- Lecture & Case Study 1: Mr Andrea Grieco, European Climate Pact, ITALY
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Case Study 2: Dr Sue Atkinson, Global Climate and Health Alliance, INTERNATIONAL
- Moderated by:
- Tara Chen, ASPHER,
- Marie Nabbe, ASHPER Young Professional; HOPE - European Hospital and Healthcare Federation
Description: This session will explore the role of public health professionals and the wider health workforce in climate-health activism and engagement. The course will focus on different ways of communicating to a variety of audiences (community to organisational) to gain political commitment, policy support and social acceptance for climate action. Case studies will be used to highlight effective climate and health messages (including health co-benefits) that have been used in the European Region and provide a range of opportunities for learners to get involved.
Learning Objectives:
- To employ effective communication skills with stakeholders about climate and health topics by defining the target audience, listening and developing audience-appropriate messaging
- To define the role of entry-level and senior public health professionals and their networks in climate-health activism and policy engagement
- To communicate and share information and responsibility effectively at different organisational levels to gain political commitment, policy support and social acceptance for climate action.
- To understand, advocate for, and learn how to implement strategies to stakeholders in interdisciplinary and intersectoral projects on climate and health issues.
Session 10: APR 09, Europe in a Global Context: Climate Justice
Video Recording(link is external and opens in a new window) | Slide Decks & Resources(link is external and opens in a new window)
Featuring:
- Lecture: Dr Maria Neira, World Health Organization, INTERNATIONAL
- Case Study: Prof Nadav Davidovitch, Ben Gurion University, ISRAEL & Prof Hazem Agha, Al Quds University, PALESTINE
- Moderated by: Cat Pinho-Gomes, UCL, London, UNITED KINGOM
Description: This session will analyse the role of Europe in the global context. It will discuss the responsibility of European countries in mitigating climate change considering its historical and current contribution to GHG emissions. It will describe the concept of climate justice and describe the importance of loss and damage financing to support the countries that are at the forefront of climate change. It will also discuss key international treaties and policies that drive climate change mitigation and adaptation globally, such as the Paris agreement, and analyse the role of the UNFCCC and the COP meetings.
Learning Objectives:
- To analyse how the impact of climate change in Europe compares with the impact across the globe
- To explain the cross-border impacts of climate change over multiple domains, such as economy, trade, food systems, energy, particularly in the context of globalisation
- To discuss the responsibility of Europe to mitigate climate change as a major contributor to GHG emissions over the past centuries
- To analyse the concept of climate justice and the need for compensation and loss & damage support to the countries experiencing the worst impact of climate change
- To discuss the importance of international commitments, agreements and policies in reducing GHG and promoting climate justice
CONTACT: hec2141@columbia.edu(link sends e-mail), Haley Campbell she/her
