Past events: Environment and Health Under the Microscope series

Past events from our Environment and Health Under the Microscope series.

Previous Events

What do we mean by extreme weather and what are the implications for health? Prof. David Stevenson and Dr Becky Gait will take us through some of the human health impacts related to heat waves (including their inter-relationship with air pollution), extreme cold, and flooding. How may extreme weather change over the 21st century under a range of future climate scenarios? Prof. Stevenson and Dr Gait will highlight the importance of identifying vulnerable populations and discuss risk management and adaptation, including proposals and policies of the Scottish Government included in the Climate Change Adaptation Programme 2014.

Safe drinking water is vital for human health but, despite the inclusion of this in the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations recently estimated that 2 billion people do not have access to safe water. In the talk we will define what is “safe” water and explore the effects of water pollution on human health and development. The causes of water pollution and measures to address it will also be examined. Dr Heal will focus on key topics in more and lesser developed countries using case-studies and recent research examples.

Air pollution exposure is a major public health concern and is estimated to result in approximately 7 million deaths worldwide each year from cardiac and respiratory illnesses. Dr Langrish will discuss the association between deaths from heart disease and exposure to air pollution and explore the reasons why inhalation of air pollutants has a detrimental effect on the heart and circulatory system. Furthermore, he will discuss how we might reduce this risk on a population and individual level in order to improve public health.

Over the past 150 years there have been substantial improvements in urban health. Indicators such as rising life expectancy and falling infant mortality suggest significant public health successes. Whilst health has tended to improve at the city scale, these gains have not been equally shared; some neighbourhoods and people have benefited more than others. The result of this is that inequalities in health are as wide as they have been since the Victorian period.

As we pass the point, globally, where more people live in towns and cities than in rural locations, new questions are being raised about how well such environments serve as human habitat. It has been predicted that, by 2025, there will be about 30 ‘megacities’ around the world with a total population exceeding 10 million; urbanisation opens the door to 'western' diseases, including heart disease, obesity, diabetes and stress. Even if we just focus on the UK context, what does it mean for human wellbeing as urban areas expand and most people live urban lives?

Watch the videos

Watch videos from our past lectures.

Extreme Weather & Health: Impacts of future climate change

Professor Stevenson spoke on how may extreme weather change over the 21st century under a range of future climate scenarios.

Extreme weather events and health

Dr Gait spoke on the importance of identifying vulnerable populations and discuss risk management and adaptation.

Environment, health and resilient cities: what constitutes salutogenic environments?

Catharine Ward Thompson, Professor of landscape architecture at the University of Edinburgh, presents her talk on resilient cities.

Environment and Health Under the Microscope: Why is urban health so unequal?

Jamie Pearce, Professor of Health at the University of Edinburgh, presents his lecture on inequalities of health.

Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Health

Dr Jeremy Langrish, Clinical Lecturer in Cardiology at the University of Edinburgh, presents his lecture on pollution and health.

"Hydrocide" Water Pollution and Health

Dr Kate Heal, Senior Lecturer in School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh, presents her lecture on water pollution.