In this lecture, Professor Robinson demonstrated the importance of a one health perspective when exploring the integral steps needed to transition to a climate-resilient future. She outlined how having a healthier environment, livelihood and life can both contribute to climate change mitigation and ultimately enhance our resilience to climate change.

In 2022, Professor Robinson contributed to the Europe Report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, presenting the ramifications of climate change. The report highlighted the critical steps for making future analyses globally adaptable, including co-development between public health professionals and health impact modellers.

The report also argued that being a key stakeholder in the world’s response to climate change, Europe has a global responsibility and opportunity to lead the transition towards becoming a low-carbon economy. This shift will ultimately facilitate a healthier and more resilient society.

About our Keynote Speaker

Elizabeth Robinson is an environmental economist with over twenty-five years’ experience undertaking research particularly in lower-income countries, including six while living in Tanzania and Ghana. Her research addresses the design of policies and institutions to reduce climate change emissions, protect the environment and improve the livelihoods of resource-dependent communities. She works on climate change and systemic risk; and tracking the co-benefits of climate change mitigation and health, oriented particularly around food security and food systems. From 2004-09 she was coordinating lead author for the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development, sub-Saharan Africa. She was on the UK Defra Economic Advisory Panel for five years; and in 2019-20, Specialist Advisor to the UK House of Lords Select Committee on Food, Poverty, Health and Environment. She is Working Group 1 lead for the Lancet Countdown, that addresses climate change impacts, exposures, and vulnerability.

 

OHE Annual Lecture Series

As part of our charitable purpose to educate and inform health policymakers, the Annual Lecture is our opportunity to highlight urgent and important issues facing health systems around the world and to raise awareness of research and evidence that can contribute to addressing these challenges. Throughout our long history we’ve had the privilege of hosting some of the greatest thinkers in the economics of health and health care.