Postgraduate Course: Changing Climate, Changing Health (Online) (EFIE11523)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh Futures Institute |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The climate emergency is a health emergency. The changing climate across the globe is impacting health directly through the immediate effects of adverse weather conditions, causing illness, injury, and death, through ecosystem-mediated effects, including vector-borne diseases, water-borne diseases, mental health challenges, and malnutrition, and through socially mediated effects such as increased poverty, migration, and conflict.
Not only will the health gains of the last 50 years be undermined as the severity of adverse climate events increases, but the very nature and types of diseases will change, with new emerging infections, antimicrobial resistance, and heightened likelihood of further pandemics. These risks threaten the economy of every country and global stability. This course will examine how health systems can build resilience to climate change and how the non-health sectors can protect the health of populations. A central focus will be on strategies to identify and build co-benefits from mitigation and adaptation interventions, which simultaneously improve health outcomes and contribute to net-zero targets. |
| Course description |
The climate emergency is a health emergency. The changing climate across the globe is impacting health directly through the immediate effects of adverse weather conditions, causing illness, injury, and death, through ecosystem-mediated effects, including vector-borne diseases, water-borne diseases, mental health challenges, and malnutrition, and through socially mediated effects such as increased poverty, migration, and conflict.
Not only will the health gains of the last 50 years be undermined as the severity of adverse climate events increases, but the very nature and types of diseases will change, with new emerging infections, antimicrobial resistance, and heightened likelihood of further pandemics. These risks threaten the economy of every country and global stability. This course will examine how health systems can build resilience to climate change and how the non-health sectors can protect the health of populations. A central focus will be on strategies to identify and build co-benefits from mitigation and adaptation interventions, which simultaneously improve health outcomes and contribute to net-zero targets.
This course provides an introduction to the ways in which the climate crisis has become a health emergency. The actions taken to respond to the health emergency could, if comprehensive and innovative, be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century.
Students will:
a) Examine the shifting narrative of the importance of health and climate from global bodies, including the United Nations, the World Health Organisation, and national governments.
b) Review the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on health including the immediate effects of adverse weather conditions such as storms, droughts, floods, cyclones, fires, heatwaves causing illness, injury and death; the ecosystem mediated effects of climate events including vector-borne diseases, water-borne diseases, mental health challenges, and malnutrition; and the socially mediated effects of these events such as increased poverty, migration, and conflict.
c) Assess the risk and vulnerability factors which make those already most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change most at risk of health challenges.
d) Understand the implications of the changing health metrics on social and economic stability.
e) Identify current co-benefits and design for new untapped co-benefits of actions which simultaneously improve health outcomes and contribute to net zero targets.
The learning experience will be characterised by co-creation and peer-teaching with students actively engaged in generating materials that inform their fellow-students. A range of learning products and inputs, including from global thought leaders, will be utilised with a supportive environment where there can be provocation, dialogue, and expansive thinking, looking at old solutions for these new intersectoral challenges and new solutions delivered in different ways.
The course will make use of a range of digital learning environments, enabling students to build knowledge across discussion forums, live-streamed sessions, and other collaborative networked spaces.
This course will have broad appeal to students with both humanities and science qualifications and those interested/currently employed in careers across business (especially working in ESG) and in public health, animal and environmental health, and global governance.
Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) - Online Hybrid Course Delivery Information:
The Edinburgh Futures Institute will teach this course in a way that enables online and on-campus students to study together. To enable this, the course will use technologies to record and live-stream student and staff participation during their teaching and learning activities. Students should note that their interactions may be recorded and live-streamed (see the Lecture Recording and Virtual Classroom policies for more details). There will, however, be options to control whether or not your video and audio are enabled.
You will need access to a personal computing device for this course. Most activities will take place in a web browser, unless otherwise stated. We recommend using a device with a screen, a physical keyboard, and internet access.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5,
Dissertation/Project Supervision Hours 5,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
The course will be assessed by means of the following components:
1) Infographic (40%)
Using formative feedback received, students will finalise a a 1-page (A4) infographic on a climate and health related topic of their choice which clearly identifies the link between climate change and human health.
Learning Outcomes Assessed by Component: 2, 5
2) Infographic Support Text (30%)
Alongside the final submission of the infographic, students will be asked to provide a 750 word (maximum) text description including an explanation and academic justification for:
a) Why the topic was chosen.
b) Who the target audience for their infographic is (e.g., policy makers, health care worker, school children, university students, general public, etc.).
c) The desired mode of distribution to that audience (e.g., poster, document, website, etc.).
Students should incorporate a full explanation of how the formative feedback that they received shaped their infographic and how they amended their infographic or what they learned from their peer's input during the intensive component.
Learning Outcomes Assessed by Component: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
3) Public Health and Climate Change Strategic Plan (30%)
Students will produce a 3-page Public Health and Climate Change Strategic Plan.
Learning Outcomes Assessed by Component: 2, 3, 4 |
| Feedback |
Feedback on any formative assessment may be provided in various formats, for example, to include written, oral, video, face-to-face, whole class, or individual. The Course Organiser will decide which format is most appropriate in relation to the nature of the assessment.
Feedback on both formative and summative in-course assessed work will be provided in time to be of use in subsequent assessments within the course.
Feedback on the summative assessment(s) will be provided in written form via Learn, the University of Edinburgh's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
Formative Feedback Opportunity:
Formative feedback is ongoing feedback which monitors learning and is intended to improve performance in the same course, in future courses, and also beyond study.
Formative feedback will be provided on a draft inforgraphic and during individual presentation and group preparation of infographic during the teaching of the course. This formative feedback will be given by the academic staff, but also via peer review and discussion. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the literature on the intersection between the climate and health agendas.
- Describe and convey through different mediums the challenges of the intersecting climate and health crises.
- Critique data to develop plans and processes for engaging with health and climate communities.
- Apply policy analysis at the science policy interface.
- Work in peer relationships and effectively take on peer review feedback.
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Reading List
Essential Reading:
Romanello et al. (2023) The 2023 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: the imperative of health-centered response in a world facing irreversible harms. The Lancet Review. 402 (1041). Pages 2346-2394. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01859-7
Executive Summary of Cissé, G., R. McLeman, H. Adams, P. Aldunce, K. Bowen, D. Campbell-Lendrum, S. Clayton, K.L. Ebi, J. Hess, C. Huang, Q. Liu, G. McGregor, J. Semenza, and M.C. Tirado, 2022: Health, Wellbeing, and the Changing Structure of Communities. In: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, pp. 1041-1170, doi:10.1017/9781009325844.009. Available: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGII_Chapter07.pdf
Recommended Reading:
Cleaver, G. and Bagenal, J. (2021). The Lancet Voice. 2021. COP26: inequality in climate research. Available: https://www.thelancet.com/doi/story/10.1016/audio.2021.10.29.108943#.YwdscIBr29o.gmail |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Climate Crisis,Climate Change,Climate Impacts,Human Health,Health Policy |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Rowan Jackson
Tel: (0131 6)51 4340
Email: Rowan.Jackson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Yasmine Lewis
Tel:
Email: yasmine.lewis@ed.ac.uk |
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