ENBEL2023 Conference on Connecting Health & Climate Change

Written By Miriam Dahl

The ENBEL2023 scientific Conference on Connecting Health & Climate Change took place in Stockholm 11-12 October 2023 and brought together in total more than 300 participants (onsite and online) from across 35 countries. The conference centered around three symposia based on research and activities in the ENBEL project, projects funded by the Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Actions Climate Environment and Health (CEH1), and the EU Climate-Health cluster, respectively, and on researchproject- or policy-based presentations and discussions from across the participant networks. To gain further synergies the conference also included a Workshop on Climate Justice and Health Inequalities.

Quotes from conference participants and speakers:

“The ENBEL conference was unique in that it brought together diverse actors in the climate and health science communities, which have few opportunities for exchange. The specific focus on climate change and health and the moderate size of the conference added clear value beyond larger environmental health conferences and fostered particularly productive discussions and networking. It is important to the climate change and health communities to continue to have an opportunity to come together to ensure health is at the centre of action to address the climate crisis,” said Cathryn Tonne, Associate Professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, co-director of the Lancet Countdown for Health and Climate Change in Europe and keynote speaker at the ENBEL2023 conference.

“The #ENBEL2023 in Stockholm in October 2023 was a fantastic opportunity to learn about cuttingedge research on climate change and health. In particular, the evidence on socio-economic and demographic inequalities in the health impacts of climate change experienced by various groups emphasized the importance of urgently transferring those research findings into meaningful policies and actions to protect the health and well-being of all.” said Aleksandra Kazmierczak, European Environment Agency, Coordinator of the European Climate and Health Observatory and keynote speaker at the ENBEL2023 conference.

“The 2023 ENBEL conference provided a powerful opportunity to listen to what is working, where, and to learn how we can quickly act on implementing the climate and health solutions that we urgently need. The conference brought together an impressive cross-section of policymakers, researchers and practitioners, which is vital for the scale and effort that is demanded of us all. Congratulations to the ENBEL consortium for their vision and leadership to successfully conduct this conference; it is a critical element for our applied research global community,” said Kathryn Bowen, Professor of Environment, Climate and Global Health at The University of Melbourne, Deputy Director of Melbourne Climate Future and IPCC Lead Author AR6. 

"The conference and the panel of great speakers far exceeded my expectations. Without doubt, the #ENBEL2023 conference on Connecting Health and Climate Change has been the most fruitful conference I have had the chance to attend", said Tomáš Janoš, Postdoctoral Researcher, Masaryk University (Czech Republic). 

“I really enjoyed the ENBEL conference in Stockholm. The sessions were diverse and engaging but most of all I appreciated the interdisciplinary mix of people. As a climate-and-health researcher, one usually goes to a climate conference or an epidemiology conference. It was inspiring to see researchers from many different disciplines, coming together to address a common issue – the health impacts of climate change.” said Iulia Marginean, PhD student at CICERO Center for International Climate Research and University of Oslo.

“The ENBEL2023 conference was one of the first for me to finally put the obvious link between health and climate change on the agenda. The days in Stockholm were full of precious information for theory and practice, and networking with people who are committed to the same topic gave me new impetus and motivation for the cause. What a valuable experience that was!” said Laura Anna Schamberger, Assistant & Project Manager, Management Center Innsbruck (Austria).

"The #ENBEL2023 conference served as an excellent forum for the exchange of ideas regarding the global impact of climate change, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing these critical issues. The presentations and discussions influenced my approach to addressing the connections between health and climate change, particularly within the context of my home country Kenya", said Martha Oguna, University of Washington, Kenya.

“After participating in ENBEL2023, I realized that climate change is not just and environmental and economical issue but a public health one too. And with this experience I am glad to say that I have broadedned my research. A large portion of my PhD research is now focused on to identify identify areas of improvement in Pakistan's flood management legislature for marginalized social groups specifically under the policiy framework of water security and health”, said Kehkashan Mansoor, PhD Scholar, at the Social Complexity and Systems Transformation Group, Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change, University of Graz.

“The ENBEL conference was a very exciting opportunity for me to present the new Copernicus Health Hub and to discuss with the different health sector representatives. It helped me to better understand how the environmental data can be used in the context of climate-health studies like for example uv radiation on mental health or microplastic effect on inflammatory response. This event was a good way to collect the user needs of environmental data and allow me to improve the hub,” said Julie Letertre, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), leading the Health Copernicus thematic Hub.

"During the course of the conference, many new and interesting connections were made. In the finishing session, participants discussed upcoming research efforts and looked forward to future collaborations. Several members of the panels, the organizing team, and visitors also pressed that although adapting to climate change is necessary, mitigation efforts are crucial and urgent,” said Amanda Sturm and Ida Persson, Karolinska Institute.  

“It was a terrific event and the first time the climate change and health cluster participants met in person.  We were able to exchange ideas, discuss different aspects of our projects and explore potential collaborations.  It was a valuable experience and allowed us to break out of the entrenched silos and connect with researchers in different fields but similar interest.” said Jan Semenza, Umeå University, IDAlert project in the EU Climate and Health Cluster.

Watch the recording of the keynote panels, sessions and symposia here.

This recording from 11 October includes:

Conference opening with Hans Orru (University of Tartu, EST), Henrik Sjödin (Umeå University, SWE), Anders Nordström (Ministry for Foreign Affairs, SWE), Kristin Aunan (CICERO, NOR)

Keynote panel 1: Tracking climate change and opportunities to improve health through adaptation and mitigation
Chair: Kristin Aunan (CICERO)
Speaker/panelist: Jan S. Fuglestvedt (CICERO, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
Cathryn Tonne (ISGlobal, Lancet Countdown Europe)
Vladimir Kendrovski (World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe)

ENBEL Symposium: Stakeholders and knowledge translation, and Climate-Health Africa Network
Chairs: Sari Kovats (UK), Elena Mazzalai (ITA)
Speakers: Francesca de'Donato, Elena Mazzalai, Shilpa Rao, Julian Natukunda and Sari Kovats

Oral 1: Climate change health impacts and transformation of disease patterns Chair: Henrik Sjödin and Julian Natukunda Speakers: Adugna Woyessa, Giovenale Moirano​, Zia Farooq, Fabienne Pradella, Maquins Odhiambo Sewe

Workshop: Climate justice and health inequalities
Chairs: Laurence Mabile, Emmanuelle Rial-Sebbag (University Toulouse III) Speaker/panelist: Christian Byk, Claire Lajaunie, L. Ravez

Presentation of The Lancet journals & demonstration of documentary on workers’ health and heat

This recording from 11 October includes:

Oral 2: Climate, heat, and air quality interactions on health
Chair: Hans Orru (EST), Caroline Muthoni (KEN)
Speakers: Alexandra Schneider, Ulas Im, Sourangsu Chowdhury, Abel Kidane, Sandy Eckel

This recording from 11 October includes:

Oral 3: Perception, communication and partnership on climate change and health
Chairs: Miriam Stackpole Dahl (NOR), Devin O’Donnell (USA)
Speakers: Yasna Palmeiro Silva, Laura Schamberger, Virgine Migeot, Sonja Myhre, Cale Lawlor and Jason Glaser.

This recording from 11 October includes:

Oral 4: Economics and policies for a just transition
Chair: Shilpa Rao (NOR), Grace Turner (UK)
Speakers: Usha Dahal, Blanca Anton, Lin Ma, Léo Moutet, Isabelle Budin-Ljøsne, Ingrid Azevedo.

This recording from the main room 12 October includes:

Opening day 2

Keynote panel 2: Progress in health adaptation – across scales Chair: Kathryn Bowen (University of Melbourne, AUS)
Speakers: H. Graczyk (International Labour Organization, CHE), Aleksandra Kazmierczak (European Environment Agency, DEN), Ida Knutsson (Swedish National Institute of Public Health, SWE)

BELMONT Symposium: Transdisciplinary research to improve understanding of the climate, environment and health links Chair: Kristin Aunan (NOR)
Speakers: Jakob Eggeling, Lin Ma, Kristina Jakobsson, Erik Hansson, Martha Oguna, Nana R. Diakité, Sonja Myhre.

Oral 5: Health impacts of heat stress
Chair: Kristin Aunan (NOR),
Speakers: Malcolm Mistry), Esmée Essers, Laura Granés, Jeroen. De Bont, Kai Wan, Coral Salvador

Health impacts of climate change: A way forward with the Climate-Health Cluster
Chair: Raman Preet (SWE)
Speakers: Marc Neumann (BlueAdapt project), Cathryn Tonne (CATALYSE project), Suzana Blesic (CLIMOS project), Stanley Luchters (HIGH Horizons project), Debra Jackson (HIGH Horizons project), Jan Semenza (IDAlert project), Silvana Sabatino (TRIGGER project)

This recording from 12 October includes:

Oral 6: Inequities in climate change impacts and health risks Chairs: Laurence Mabile (FRA), Gunnell E. Sandanger (NOR) Speakers: Kajal Khanna, Jean Marc Goudet, Pope Moseley, Iulia Marginean, Reija Ruuhela

This recording from 12 October includes:

Oral 7: Climate resilient health systems
Chairs: Sari Kovats (UK), Junwen Guo (SWE)
Speakers: Kimberly Humphrey, Olena Zotova, Ilonka Horváth, Grace Turner, Cherie Part, Vincent Pagiwa.

This recording from 12 October includes:

Oral 8: Climate hazards and population exposure
Chairs: Marija Jevtic (SRB), Hans Orru (EST)
Speakers: Clemens Schwingshackl, Antonio Gasparrini, Philipp Aglas-Leitner, Ho Kim, Evan De Schrijver, Janine Wichmann


Miriam Dahl
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ENBEL - linking climate scientists and health researchers and engaging with decision-makers