Developing solutions for temperature-related health impacts in the UK

There is growing recognition that ambient temperature and other climate factors can affect the health of the UK population via multiple pathways, ranging from direct impacts such as increased deaths and hospital admissions during a heat-wave, to indirect processes such as the role of climate factors in driving the spread of ticks and other vectors that can cause diseases. Understanding such impacts and developing solutions therefore requires multi-disciplinary expertise which the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) on Environmental Change and Health is uniquely placed to deliver since its long-standing programme of research and training is already contributing to improved understanding of the health impacts of climate change and other environmental challenges, the actions needed to protect UK public health, and the opportunities for improving health of policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This partnership between LSHTM, UKHSA, UCL, and the Met Office consists of members who have long been at the forefront of research into climate change and health, with expertise in health, environmental science, behavioural and social science, building science, climate change, health economics, insect biology, and mathematical modelling:

https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/hpru-ech#welcome

The aims of this new project led by the HPRU consortium plus additional climate scientists are to foster strong and enduring links between the climate and health science communities and to generate policy-relevant evidence on the full range of health impacts associated with climate factors that can inform adaptation and mitigation measures and enhance climate resilience of the UK population. The project objectives are:

To develop and apply methods for improved detection of weather-related health impacts and to identify high-risk groups and health inequalities associated with climate exposures.
To undertake a dedicated programme of work in the...