How can we prevent disease as a result of climate change?
The common thread running through Hafez Ismaïli M’hamdi’s work is justice. This is also a key issue when it comes to climate change, as the people who have contributed the least to it are, in fact, the most vulnerable. How do we prevent people from becoming ill or more ill as a result of climate change? As scientific coordinator of the new Climate Health Institute, Hafez is focusing on this question.
Hafez is an ethicist and has been working at the Department of Health, Ethics & Society within the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML) since January 2024. “My work covers a broad spectrum: it ranges from research into what you can and cannot do with cells in the lab, to public health issues. One topic I find particularly important and relevant is justice: looking at how to organise research and policy so that the benefits and burdens are distributed fairly.”
“When it comes to climate and health, justice also plays an important role, because the greatest health burdens resulting from climate change fall on the people who are most vulnerable and who have contributed the least to that climate change. That’s why I became involved in the initiative within FHML to ensure that climate and health are given systematic attention. This ultimately led to the establishment of a new research institute: Climate Health Institute, with me as its scientific coordinator.”
We want to give priority to those who are least equipped and most at risk.
Climate change
The new institute’s mission is to investigate the health impacts of climate change. “We’re looking at the adverse health effects of climate change and want to prevent people from becoming ill or more ill as a result,” explains Hafez. “Research is central, but it does serve a social purpose. As an institute, we’re committed to serving society, and I think that’s wonderful.”
“Climate Health Institute has three research themes: heat, water and air. For each theme, we have identified the health challenges at stake. We have selected people from the various research institutes within FHML to work together in multidisciplinary teams. They are considering the biomedical, social and normative issues relevant to each theme. What sort of research do they want to conduct, and how will this benefit people who are currently at risk? We are currently refining the project ideas with the team so that we can really get started as soon as possible.”
Particulate matter
“What makes our institute unique is that we focus on more than just fundamental biomedical research. We’re not just interested in the levels of particulate matter in the air and how that affects the respiratory tract. Nor are we solely concerned with studying organs, tissues or patients. All of that is important, but we also look at social aspects. Which groups are most vulnerable, and which treatments or interventions do they themselves consider desirable? And what are their needs when it comes to air quality and protection against heat and flooding? So it’s not a case of the scientist coming to solve the public’s problem, but rather citizens, patients and clients contributing their ideas on what the problem is, what is at stake and how we can work together to counteract the harmful effects.”
The heaviest burdens
“We also pay particular attention to the most vulnerable people, because it is unfair that they bear the heaviest burdens. These are also the people who work in the least favourable conditions, have the lowest incomes, have the smallest social networks to provide a safety net, and most often live alongside roads with the highest levels of exhaust fumes and particulate matter, and where there are the fewest trees to provide shade. It is a kind of cumulative effect of climate-related risk factors. If, as an institution, we truly wish to serve society and, in particular, the region, we believe we must also tackle regional problems. In doing so, we want to give priority to those who are least equipped and most at risk.”
I think students have a lot of relevant knowledge, so we’re looking at how we can make use of it.
Pressing questions
“Climate and climate change are incredibly important issues, so we want to ensure they feature in education and amongst graduates. The idea isn’t ‘we’ll just pop in and tell students how things stand’; we want to learn together. On the one hand, we want to keep students informed about the research being carried out, and in particular the research we are conducting. At the same time, we’re also very curious to find out what’s on students’ minds regarding these topics, and what their most pressing questions are, so that we can incorporate these into our research as well. I think students have a lot of relevant knowledge, so we’re looking at how we can make use of it. We want an interactive, equal approach to education, which I think fits well with the educational philosophy of Maastricht University and FHML. Students aren’t empty vessels to be filled with information, but equal discussion partners for researchers and lecturers.”
Making a difference
What does Hafez hope to have achieved with Climate Health Institute in five years’ time? “That our research has led to treatments for climate-related health problems,” he says. “So hopefully a better understanding of the effect of particulate matter on the lungs or what heat does to your heart and blood vessels, and adapting hospital treatments accordingly. We also hope to make an impact on health in other ways. For example, by providing easily accessible facilities for older people during a heatwave, or by using warning systems to identify areas at risk of flooding or other water-related disasters. It simply takes a while before you can really quantify the health benefits, but such a facility, system or adapted treatment will certainly deliver them. In short, in the long term we want to demonstrate that we have genuinely made a difference to health, particularly for the most vulnerable groups. And until then, we want to show what we’re doing to actually achieve that.”
Text and photo: Joëlle van Wissen