Climate Change Meets Public Health: Keynote by CCEH Director at Risk Sciences Conference
Extreme weather, pollution, and infectious disease risks are straining health systems worldwide.
The Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Health (CCEH) is proud to share that our Director, Prof. Steve Yim, delivered a keynote address at the 2025 Risk Sciences Annual Conference, co-organized by Nanyang Business School and Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management.
Prof. Yim’s keynote explored the urgent connections between climate change and public health, showing how extreme weather events, worsening air pollution, and infectious disease risks are already placing unprecedented strain on health systems.
He concluded with a critical question: “Is our already overwhelmed healthcare system prepared for the next wave of climate extremes?”
Alongside the keynote, CCEH Research Fellow Dr. Tao Huang presented on “PM2.5-Associated Premature Mortality Attributable to Hot-and-Polluted Episodes and the Inequality Between the Global North and the Global South.” His talk highlighted how climate change not only worsens air pollution–related health burdens but also deepens inequalities, with vulnerable populations in the Global South facing disproportionate risks.
Together, these contributions reflect CCEH’s mission on advancing research, policy, and collaboration to strengthen resilience in health systems against climate-driven risks, while also addressing global health inequities.
💡 Key message: Climate change is not just an environmental challenge—it is a public health crisis. CCEH is advancing resilience through science, policy, and innovation to protect communities worldwide.
