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CLICCS
Cluster of ExcellenceClimate, Climatic Change,
and Society (CLICCS)

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6. Climate Changes Health

Climate changes health

29th September 2022, Bundesstraße 53, Room 22/23, from 15:15 to 16:45

Save the date!

The topic climate change and health will be introduced by two keynotes and a general discuss will follow involving a podium discussion among several members of the climate and health community as well as participants from the open floor.

Keynote speakers will be:

  • Prof. Kristie Ebi (Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE), University of Washington, USA)

Climate change is increasing the burden of a wide range of climate-sensitive health outcomes, from heat-related morbidity and mortality to undernutrition to many major vectorborne and other infectious diseases. Strengthening health systems can reduce the current and projected burdens of these health outcomes over the short term, but the effectiveness of doing so past mid-century will depend on greenhouse gas emission pathways and development choices. Under high emissions, climate change will be rapid and extensive, leading to fundamental shifts in the burden of climate-sensitive health outcomes that will challenging for many countries to manage. Unmanaged disease burdens could erode gains made in public health, economic development, and living standards worldwide.

  • Dr. Renke Lühken (Bernard Nocht Institut Hamburg)

Mosquitoes are ectothermic organisms and therefore environmental temperature conditions have a direct impact on the life cycle and the developmental rates of associated pathogens. In combination with globalisation, climate warming is the most important driver for changes in the distribution of mosquitoes and mosquito-borne pathogens. Over the last three decades, we observed a significant spread of exotic mosquito species in Europe, resulting in the emergence of tropical arboviruses like chikungunya or dengue virus outside the original distribution areas. At the same time, we recognized an expansion of endemic pathogens transmitted by native mosquito species including mosquito-transmitted filaroid worms or West Nile virus, increasing the disease burden all over Europe. However, there is still a huge need for research, as there is little knowledge about the influence of climate warming on our native mosquito fauna.

Panel members will include the keynote speakers, Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren (President of Universität Hamburg), Isabel Graf (Graduiertenkolleg iPRIME), Prof. Dr. Daniela Jacob (Direktor GERICS), and Dr. Juan Miguel Rodriguez Lopez (CEN, CLICCS, B3).