Our health is inextricably linked to the health of our planet. Rising temperatures, flooding, drought, air pollution, food insecurity, and ecosystem degradation can have significant health impacts, affecting both chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer, and the spread of infectious disease, as well as having a negative impact on mental health. At Imperial, our scientists are researching the links between climate change and health, and how to achieve both a healthy planet and a healthy society.
Our research is revealing the impact of pollution on human health, and how taking action to reduce it, cut carbon emissions and protect nature can have huge benefits for our health. We are driving advances in food security and sustainability; human disease and environmental health; pollution and urban ecosystems; climate change and physical and mental health. Find out more about our institutes, centres, networks and projects that are tackling climate and health challenges.
.jpg)
Our global challenge institutes
Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment
The Grantham Institute sits at the heart of Imperial's work on climate change and the environment.
Find out more about the Grantham Institute
Our research centres
.jpg)
Our research centres continued
Featured projects
Explore some of the interdisciplinary research going on across Imperial to improve human and planetary health
Climate cares
A collaboration between the Grantham Institute and IGHI that aims to understand and support mental health in the current climate and ecological crises
.jpg)
.png)
Our networks
Food and Planetary Health at Imperial
Joint initiatives around food, planetary health and human health are on-going at the School of Public Health and the Centre for Environmental Policy. The main themes involve the quality of diets, their impacts on human health, their planetary footprints. Building upon resources including the global calculator and the new NIHR Centre on non-communicable diseases and environmental change.
Hear from our researchers
Covid won’t be the last pandemic
Dr Ilaria Dorigatti, Senior Lecturer & Sir Henry Dale Fellow in Imperial's School of Public Health, explains how climate change is impacting the spread of infectious diseases, and how we can use the experience of Covid to better prepare. Find out more in this Imperial news article.
Covid won’t be the last pandemic
Dr Ilaria Dorigatti explains how climate change is impacting the spread of infectious diseases
Dr Ilaria Dorigatti, Senior Lecturer & Sir Henry Dale Fellow in Imperial's School of Public Health, explains how climate change is impacting the spread of infectious diseases, and how we can use the experience of Covid to better prepare. Find out more in this Imperial news article.
Why inaction on climate change is bad for our mental health
Dr Emma Lawrance speaks about her work on the eco-anxiety experienced by many young people.
Dr Emma Lawrance, Mental Health Innovations Fellow and leader of the Climate Cares programme at Imperial's Institute for Global Health Innovation, speaks about her work on the eco-anxiety experienced by many young people. Find out more in this Imperial news article.
9 things you can do for your health and the planet
Here are 9 things you can do that will have a positive impact on both your health and the planet.
We spoke with world-leading scientists and experts at Imperial and beyond to find out the best things you can do to improve both your health, and the health of the planet. Read about the things you can do.
Our researchers
Department of Economics and Public Policy
- Dr Shefali Khanna
- Professor Marisa Miraldo
- Dr Mirabelle Muuls
- Dr Elisa Pineda
- Dr Laure de Preux
- Dr Jack Olney
- Professor Franco Sassi
- Dr Shuang Zhang
Department of Finance
- Dr Pernille Holtedahl
- Professor Michael Wilkins
Department of Chemical Engineering
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Professor Wouter Buytaert
- Dr Ana Mijic
- Dr Rupert Myers
- Dr Athanasios Paschalis
- Dr Marc Stettler
- Professor Michael Templeton
Department of Earth Sciences and Engineering
- Dr Steven Banham
- Dr Fangxin Fang
- Professor Sanjeev Gupta
- Dr Cedric John
- Professor Adrian Muxworthy
- Professor Christopher Pain
- Professor Mark Rehkämper
- Dr Fred Richards
- Professor Mark Sephton
- Professor Tina van de Flierdt
- Professor Dominik Weiss
- Professor Jamie Wilkinson
Department of Materials
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Department of Brain Sciences
Department of Infectious Disease
Department of Surgery and Cancer
National Heart and Lung Institute
Institute of Global Health Innovation
Institute of Infection
School of Public Health
- Dr Ben Barratt
- Dr Leon Barron
- Dr Sean Beavers
- Dr Kristine Belesova
- Dr Illaria Dorigatti
- Professor Paul Elliott
- Professor Majid Ezzati
- Dr Daniela Fecht
- Professor Neil Ferguson
- Professor Matthew Fisher
- Professor Gary Frost
- Dr Gary Fuller
- Professor Nicholas Grassly
- Professor Frank Kelly
- Professor Christopher Millett
- Dr Ian Mudway
- Professor Mala Rao
- Professor Paolo Vineis
- Dr Stephanie Wright
Centre for Environmental Policy
- Dr Tilly Collins
- Dr Audrey de Nazelle
- Dr Caroline Howe
- Professor Clive Potter
- Professor Nick Voulvoulis
- Dr Jem Woods
Department of Chemistry
Department of Life Sciences
- Professor Thomas Bell
- Professor Daniel Davis
- Dr Lauren Cator
- Dr Richard Gill
- Dr Samraat Pawar
- Dr Will Pearse
- Professor Colin Prentice
- Dr Julia Schroeder
- Professor Colin Turnbull
- Professor Guy Woodward
Department of Physics
Grantham Institute - Climate Change and Environment
- Dr Alexandre Koberle
- Dr Andrew Prentis
- Professor Ralf Toumi