Climate and health

Climate change has been described as the greatest global threat to health this century. The impacts of rising temperatures and the increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events include negative physiological effects, increased food insecurity, greater spread of infectious diseases, and greater psychological trauma. In parallel, many of the actions required to mitigate climate change have positive health benefits, leading, for example, to cleaner air, healthier diets, and more affordable, reliable public transport.  

Our work in this area focuses on policies designed to tackle the impacts of climate change on health and much of our applied economics research is undertaken in collaboration with climate scientists, public health professionals and policymakers. One particular area of focus is food security, under-nutrition and climate change, particularly in the context of lower-income countries.