Course Objectives
This course aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote health-enhancing climate actions. By understanding and implementing strategies that reduce carbon emissions while simultaneously improving health outcomes, students will learn how to integrate environmental sustainability with public health initiatives. The objective is to foster an understanding of how actions such as adopting renewable energy, enhancing energy efficiency, and promoting sustainable practices can contribute to both a healthier planet and healthier populations. Participants will gain insights into the synergy between reducing greenhouse gases and achieving positive health impacts, empowering them to advocate for and implement these strategies in their respective fields.
Another key objective of this course is to develop strategies for building climate-resilient health systems. Students will explore how to create robust, low-carbon healthcare infrastructures capable of withstanding and adapting to climate-related stresses and challenges. This includes understanding the principles of designing healthcare systems that are both resilient to extreme weather events and efficient in reducing their own carbon footprints. By studying case examples and best practices, participants will learn how to enhance the resilience of health systems to climate impacts while maintaining and improving their effectiveness and sustainability.
The course will also focus on implementing protective public health measures to safeguard communities from climate-related health risks. Students will examine how to develop and deploy measures that address the direct and indirect health impacts of climate change, such as heat-related illnesses, vector-borne diseases, and mental health issues arising from extreme weather events and displacement. The objective is to provide participants with the tools and strategies needed to design and implement public health interventions that protect vulnerable populations and reduce the adverse health effects associated with climate change.
A critical aspect of this course is to enhance the role of the health community in climate response. Students will learn how the health sector can lead climate advocacy, provide evidence for effective action, and guide other sectors in adopting practices that are both health- and climate-friendly. This includes exploring how health professionals and organizations can contribute to climate policy development, support climate action through research and data, and influence broader societal changes. The objective is to empower participants to be proactive leaders in integrating health considerations into climate strategies and advocating for sustainable, evidence-based solutions.
