Green and blue spaces in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana. Photo: Eugene Kuznetsov by Unsplash
The University of Tartu, Karolinska Institutet, the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and CICERO Center for International Climate Research organise a workshop addressing health concerns of urban greenness in perspective of climate change. We will discover the latest research findings and mitigation strategies to address health challenges from those disasters.
Date&time: 26th of January, 10.00-11.30 CET
Online workshop in TEAMS, free, registration required before Jan 25th, 2024
The link and calendar invite to the workshop will be sent to all registrees latest on the day before.
PROGRAMME
10.00–10.05 Welcome & introduction, Hans Orru, University of Tartu
10.05–10.30 Mapping urban heat for public health risk planning: pitfalls and opportunities, Zander Venter, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
10.30–10.55 Green inequality in Estonian cities – what does it mean in health perspectives, Hans Orru, University of Tartu
10.55–11.20 Thunder + Pollen = Increased risk of acute respiratory illness, Mare Lõhmus, Karolinske Institutet
11.20–11.30 Concluding remarks & synthesis
About the speakers:
Hans Orru is a Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Tartu and head of the Centre for Sustainable Development. Also, he is a Visiting Fellow at Umeå University. Prof Orru’s main research area is the health impact of the external environment. Within his research, he has focused on air quality and climate change, but more recently also on the industrially contaminated areas, indoor air pollution, the health impact of noise and health risk perception. Over the past 20 years of investigations, he has been involved in more than 30 research or development projects which have had a significant effect in raising public awareness about the health effects of the environment. Prof Orru has published more than 100 original scientific articles and he is contributing author of the IPCC WGII Sixth Assessment Report.
Prof Hans Orru is also ENBEL project WP2 co-chair.
Dr. Mare Lõhmus is an associate professor and senior scientist at the at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, as well as the specialist in climate and health at the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Region Stockholm, Sweden. During the last decade her research has mainly centered on studying the physical and mental health impacts linked to urban greenness exposure. For several years she also participated in the EU project Blue Health – a pan-European research initiative that investigated the links between urban blue spaces, climate, and health. In collaboration with researchers at the Palynological Laboratory, National Museum of Natural History, Mare has conducted several studies on the impact of climate change on pollen production and the subsequent implications for public health.
Dr Zander Venter is a geospatial scientist at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA). He enjoys viewing the world through a satellite’s lens and has developed remote sensing methods for mapping urban green infrastructure and heat. Zander’s research group at NINA is working on the spatial methods for conducting ecosystem accounts in urban areas.
This workshop is part of the project ENBEL (Enhancing Belmont Research Action to support EU policy making on climate change and health) that coordinates a network of international health and climate research projects funded by Belmont Forum and the EU. CICERO Center for International Climate Research is the coordinator of the project. ENBEL aims to contribute with knowledge and policy advice on climate change and health links to support adaptation and resilience. This is the fourth workshop in the series.
For more information please contact: Hans.Orru@ut.ee