Inspiring new approaches: climate change and health

Cohort 3 member Oliver Gröne reflects on what he learned from Maria Neira's Sciana Lecture

A Sciana Lecture by Maria Neira, director of the Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health at the World Health Organization, offered insight and inspiration to Sciana members, including Oliver Gröne, for whom it has had a lasting impact.

Neira delivered her talk on ‘Climate Change and Health’ in November 2019, during the fourth meeting of the Sciana 2018 cohort and the second meeting of the Sciana 2019 cohort. She called on leaders in health and health care to feel empowered and use their voices in conversations relating to climate change and the environment. She highlighted that tackling climate change is not just an environmental matter; it’s a public health issue. Improving the health of populations can be the “best motivation” to elevate action on climate change, according to Neira.

Gröne was particularly inspired by Neira: “I think for many of us in the room, although everyone is obviously aware of climate change, it wasn’t very clear until then how many different implications climate change has for health care delivery, and also the contribution of health care delivery to climate change.

“This really was an eye-opener to me. I’d obviously thought of climate change, for example, in terms of my personal behaviour – travelling by train, eating less meat etc. But the fact that health care in most countries contributes five per cent of CO2 emissions in that country. That’s a shocking statistic.”

The lecture has led Gröne to consider climate change in each project he and his organisation works on. “From that point, I really started to look at how I can be active in climate change, rather than just being a concerned citizen. It has changed the way I address a number of projects. Previously I would have thought that’s a project for geologists, physicists or someone working in that field. After that talk, I realised it’s actually my responsibility as well, and recognised my active leadership role in this subject.

“The talk triggered something in me that I wouldn’t have been exposed to otherwise.”

Gröne is currently working on research proposals to do with climate change and health, as well as a large project in Europe on increasing awareness in the population of the impact of food and nutrition on climate change. “I set this project up with colleagues, in particular, to focus on the health care sector, for example, looking at procurement processes in hospitals and behaviour change strategies for health care staff.

“Through these projects, I am trying to really bring these issues to the forefront of the public agenda.”