Useful links

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS)

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability is a six-year (2011-2017) NERC research programme, designed to answer fundamental questions about the role of biodiversity in key ecosystem processes and the delivery of ecosystem processes at the landscape scale and how these are likely to change in an uncertain future.

The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare (CSH)

The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare (CSH) is helping people to appreciate the vital importance of the overlap between their wellbeing and environmental sustainability, particularly in the field of healthcare. It works to engage healthcare professionals, patients and the wider community in understanding the connections between health and environment and the importance of adopting sustainable practices at work and at home. As the NHS has contact with millions of people every day as patients and employs over 1.3 million people, it has the potential to reach huge swathes of the population with positive health and environmental messages.

Climate and Health Council

The Climate and Health Council is an international organisation consisting of doctors, nurses and other health professionals who recognise the urgent need to address climate change to protect health. It works towards a world where the impacts of climate change on health are understood and tackled in a way that improves the public's well-being.

Future Earth

Future Earth is a 10-year international research initiative launched in 2013 to develop the knowledge for responding effectively to the risks and opportunities of global environmental change and for supporting transformation towards global sustainability in the coming decades. It has been established by a partnership for global sustainability including researchers, funders and users of knowledge.

Global Climate and Health Alliance

Members of the Global Climate and Health Alliance are health organizations from around the world, united by a shared vision of a sustainable future. The Alliance works to tackle climate change and to protect and promote public health.

Healthy Planet

Healthy Planet is a network of students and young people across the UK who are passionate about the relationship between global environmental change and health, and about the solutions at a range of levels - from policy to institutional to individual. Healthy Planet is an official campaign within Medsin-UK (www.medsin.org), focusing on climate change and health.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

The IPCC is a scientific intergovernmental body, established at the request of member governments. It was first established in 1988 by two United Nations organizations, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and later endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly. The IPCC assesses the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change. Its Fifth Assessment Report was completed in Sept 2013.

Living with Environmental Change

Living with Environmental Change is a partnership of 22 major UK public sector funders and users of environmental research, including the research councils and central government departments.

NHS Sustainable Development Unit (SDU)

The Sustainable Development Unit works across health, public health and social care in England. It supports organisations, people, tools, policy and research to enable organisations to become sustainable and low carbon. The SDU is funded by, and accountable to, NHS England and Public Health England to work across the NHS, public health and social care system.

Planet earth

Planet earth is a portal for the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). NERC is the UK's main agency for funding and managing research, training and knowledge exchange in the environmental sciences. There is a free magazine, Plane Earth, available at www.nerc.ac.uk/publications/planetearth/2013/autumn/index.asp?cookieConsent=A

UCL-Lancet Commission on Managing the Health Effects of Climate Change

A major report on managing the health effects of climate change, launched jointly by The Lancet and UCL.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

UNEP, established in 1972, is the voice for the environment within the United Nations. It acts as a catalyst, advocate, educator and facilitator to promote the wise use and sustainable development of the global environment. Its work encompasses assessing global, regional and national environmental conditions and trends, developing international and national environmental instruments and strengthening institutions for the wise management of the environment.

United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network

The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) mobilizes scientific and technical expertise from academia, civil society, and the private sector in support of sustainable development problem solving at local, national, and global scales. It was set up in 2012 by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. It focuses on 12 themes, supported by 12 Thematic Groups (TGs) comprising leading scientists, engineers, academics and practitioners from business and civil society to promote solutions to key challenges of sustainable development. The themes include Health for All and Forests, Oceans, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services.

WHO Europe: Protecting Health in an Environment Challenged by Climate Change

This is the Regional Framework for Action for Europe on health and climate change. Its aims are 'to protect health, promote health equity and security, and provide healthy environments in a changing climate in the WHO European Region'. It lays out the actions to achieve these aims.

York Environmental Sustainability Institute (YESI)

YESI undertakes interdisciplinary research on environmental sustainability for the research community, industry and policy makers. Key themes include Future Food and Fuel, Global Change and Sustainable Environments.