Tag: Health

Picture of the road A401 by Shepherd's Bush Green, flanked by tower blocks
Air Pollution, Health, Research

Painting over the cracks – a short-term fix for air pollution?

The Grantham Institute’s Dr Andreas Kafizas blogs on how light-activated paint and coatings can help tackle air pollution, and whether or not they are effective. Air pollution is a public health emergency. Imperial research shows that poor air quality in London leads to around 1,000 hospital admissions for asthma and serious lung conditions every year. For the UK as a whole, it is estimated that … Continue reading Painting over the cracks – a short-term fix for air pollution?

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A group of refugees leaving Hungary, walking down the road carrying their things
Impacts & adaptation, Research, Student blogs

Climate change is a security issue. How can we make sure climate security receives the attention it needs?  

Shirin Hakim and Miriam Aczel, who recently co-organised a Grantham Institute event about climate change, low-carbon transitions and security, reflect on why climate change is a security issue and the next steps for researchers and policymakers .   While climate change and security have traditionally been examined in isolation, climate is increasingly entering the policy arena as a national security issue. The impacts of global warming are far-reaching. Extreme weather like droughts and flooding … Continue reading Climate change is a security issue. How can we make sure climate security receives the attention it needs?  

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A portrait picture of a girl cropped so that it only shows half her face, and shown horizontally.
Impacts & adaptation, Individual action on climate

Feeling anxious about climate change? You’re not the only one

As global temperatures rise, so do the mental health implications. Dr Emma Lawrance, Mental Health Innovations Fellow at Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation, blogs on why it’s time to take the mental health implications of climate change seriously.  Mental health crisis. Climate crisis. While both are familiar phrases to anyone reading the press these days, the links between climate change and mental health remain unobvious … Continue reading Feeling anxious about climate change? You’re not the only one

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Graphic showing a green future city, with icons representing health, wealth, happiness and employment
Communicating climate change, Individual action on climate, Mitigation

What can the Brexit vote tell us about harnessing peoples’ enthusiasm to act on climate change?

Dr Neil Jennings, Partnership Development Manager at the Grantham Institute, considers how we can frame action on climate change in terms of other public priorities. Each month, the polling organisation Ipsos MORI surveys members of the public in the United Kingdom about what they think are the main issues facing the country. Currently (July 2019), the ‘Common Market/Brexit/EU’ tops the list. However, in 2015 it … Continue reading What can the Brexit vote tell us about harnessing peoples’ enthusiasm to act on climate change?

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close up of row of cows being milked
Health, Individual action on climate, Student blogs

Saving the planet, one meal at a time

Dr Neil Jennings, Partnership Development Manager at the Grantham Institute, and Lily Peck, Research Postgraduate on the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet Doctoral Training Programme, explain how eating a more plant-based, seasonal diet can help tackle climate change, support the local economy and help us to live healthier lives. For most of us, shifting to a more plant-based diet and reducing meat intake … Continue reading Saving the planet, one meal at a time

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Health, Individual action on climate

My life as a temporary vegan

Maggie Robertson shares her experiences of going vegan for lent. ‘Several Grantham staff doing vegan for lent. Fancy it?’ That was the text from my husband back in February that began our vegan adventure. Or did it begin further back, when I first announced (I do all the cooking for our small family) we were going to be eating less meat? Or was it ten … Continue reading My life as a temporary vegan

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A woman sitting on a brick next to a pile of rubble
Impacts & adaptation, Student blogs

Mental health: the unseen impacts of climate change

Sara Moubarak, former student on the Grantham Institute and Imperial College Business School MSc in Climate Change Management and Finance, considers the complex links between climate change and mental health. I was sitting in class one day when, suddenly, we heard a loud bang and the windows started shaking. In a matter of seconds, my friend was hiding under the table, then begging us to … Continue reading Mental health: the unseen impacts of climate change

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A nurse leans over a small baby, being held by a man, in a small rural hospital
Energy, Health

Energy for life – The underestimated component for good healthcare provision

Muriel Hauser, visiting research postgraduate at the Grantham Institute, considers why electricity is so important for healthcare, and how improving access to energy can improve access to healthcare for all people.  Have you ever worried that a blackout might occur when you’re in hospital? That an operation could be interrupted because of a power outage, or that it could be impossible to get an X-ray … Continue reading Energy for life – The underestimated component for good healthcare provision

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Front view of Cyclists, cars and buses riding on london street
Health, Impacts & adaptation, Individual action on climate, Mitigation

London’s air crisis: How can we bring about change?

Following massive public concern about the quality of the air we breathe, the Grantham Institute hosted a discussion that explored the challenges of cleaning up air in London and ways to bring about meaningful change. Abbie Stone, Media, Events and Outreach Officer, shares some of the key discussion points: London’s air pollution has been described as a ‘crisis’ by its own residents, and despite efforts … Continue reading London’s air crisis: How can we bring about change?

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Graphic showing desired links between disciplines
Research, Student blogs

Researchers need to reach out to other disciplines to face up to the challenges of climate change

Healthy People, Healthy Planet is a challenge team formed by students from the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet (SSCP) Doctoral Training Partnership.  Team members, Hiral Shah, Rebecca Thomas, Jonathan Bosch, Branwen Snelling and Rowan Schley, discuss why climate change and global health go hand in hand.  “Tackling climate change could be the biggest global health opportunity of the twenty first century.” This message, … Continue reading Researchers need to reach out to other disciplines to face up to the challenges of climate change

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