CLIMATE MEDICINE

Human activities are increasingly affecting the Earth's climate and ecosystems, and climate change is no longer a distant threat but is already harming people's health in various ways. Extreme weather events such as heatwaves, floods, storms, and wildfires driven by global warming impact health both directly and indirectly, increasing the risk of death, non-communicable diseases, the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, and mental health issues. This development will present new and significant challenges for health and medical care. This lecture provides a broad introduction to how climate change affects health and its consequences for the environment, society, and healthcare.

Andreas Vilhelmsson is an associate professor with a Ph.D. in public health from Lund University in Sweden, where he works with interdisciplinary research at the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. His research includes, among other things, environmental and health effects early in life, climate and health, nudging in healthcare, and pandemics. He teaches climate and health at the Medical Program at Lund University and is working to implement the subject in the medical curriculum. He also holds a Master of Public Health and certificates in Climate Change and Health and Climate Change planetary Health and Medicine from Yale School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School. He has written and edited a textbook on Climate Medicine to be used in programs on medicine and public health.