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University of Bristol staff and students also have the option to attend this event in-person. Please see internal event advert.
The Cabot Institute for the Environment and the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research invite you to the third in a series of Climate Change and Health seminars.
In this seminar, Dr Charlotte Ray and Ritah Pavin Nakanjako will speak about heat exposure and health risks in low income communities and the interventions and adaptions needed.
Dr Charlotte Ray - Controlled trials and tribulations of climate and health research: Developing and implementing community-based heat adaptations and interventions.
Dr Charlotte Ray is currently a Research Fellow in Equitable Energy Systems in the School of Electrical, Electronic, and Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol. She is a transdisciplinary social science researcher with an extensive track record of undertaking qualitative research methods, bridging academic disciplines and developing equitable, international partnerships across 15 countries worldwide. She has over 15 years’ experience working in both academia and international development. Her research sits on the interface of the soft and hard sciences, utilising the core question: How do you ensure that people remain at the heart of development and the energy transition? This question has continued to develop since her PhD where she investigated the livelihoods and integration strategies of refugees in The Gambia, West Africa, specifically addressing the access to socio-cultural and environmental resources and continues to lead research around the socio-cultural acceptability of emerging climate, energy and health interventions and incorporating local indigenous knowledge into both the design of technology and adaptation strategies.
Abstract
The impact of climate change and health is significant and the nexus between climate and health highlights intricate, intertwined yet beneficial connections which could prove transformational for human health. As a result, there have been a plethora of strategies and interventions to promote climate change adaptations to reduce the health risks posed by climate change. It is widely evidenced that development interventions (including climate and health related) often fail when the needs, aspirations and expertise of local communities are not taken into consideration. Even with the very best intentions, developing and co-producing community-based adaptations face methodological, implementation and sustainability challenges. Using examples from an ongoing heat adaptation cohort study, this talk will discuss the trials and tribulations of conducting climate and health research especially when working directly with communities and people themselves. We will discuss what heat interventions look like from health, climate and community perspectives, some of the methodological challenges faced and how they have been overcome. We will finally discuss how to ensure that future adaptations are equal, equitable and mutually beneficial for all the communities we work in.
Ritah Pavin Nakanjako - House Characteristics and Indoor Thermal Comfort In Africa.
Ritah is a PhD student focusing on the passive heat adaptation strategies in low-income communities in Africa; case study of Cape town (South Africa) and Accra (Ghana). She is keen on understanding the impact of house characteristics on thermal comfort and assessing the efficacy of low-cost passive adaptation interventions in reducing indoor temperatures in low-income community housing. Ritah is interested in relating climate risks with critical urban and rural systems, communication of climate science to grass root stakeholders, co-production of knowledge, community engagement and use of interdisciplinary tools for co-development of climate change solutions.
Abstract
The rapid urbanization in Africa has driven the expansion of informal settlements, characterized by high population density, unplanned infrastructure, and inadequate housing. These conditions exacerbate residents' vulnerability to elevated temperatures and extreme heat exposure, posing significant risks to health and heat-related morbidity and mortality. The study empirically analysed the performance and impact of housing characteristics on indoor thermal comfort in low-income houses across four communities: Ghana (Ga-mashie (Accra) and NkwantaKese (Kumasi)) and South Africa (Mphego (Thohoyandou) and Khayelitsha (Cape Town)). The findings revealed the extent of heat risks faced by local communities within different house typologies and informed the need for heat adaptation strategies and addressing housing infrastructure in low-income communities as a pathway to climate action.