Advancing Planetary Health in Europe: A Tale of Two Cities

Fecha

03/06/2021

Hora

13.00 - 15.00 h CEST

Lugar

(via Zoom) Online

How are cities transforming our mobility and our natural environment to become healthier for people and the planet? What are the main opportunities and barriers? How are cities tackling the urgency of achieving large reductions in pollutant emissions by 2030? How to establish a fruitful dialogue between Science and Politics to advance towards healthier, safer and more sustainable cities for people and nature?

With the aim of answering these and other questions on the subject, ISGlobal and the Päijät-Häme Joint Health and Wellbeing Authority in Finland have organised this webinar, following a previous collaboration between both institutions and other partners, which resulted in the Helsinki Declaration on Planetary Health in 2019.

This virtual event brings together both the scientific and political ambition of two European cities — Lahti, in Finland, and Barcelona, in Spain—to promote major transformations aimed at making them healthier for people and much more sustainable for the planet. The dialogue between these two cities highlights the contrast between cities in the north and south of Europe, and of large and small population density.

Nature-based solutions as well as solutions to increase active mobility, such as walking and cycling, help improve the health of both human and natural systems on the planet. However, promoting and implementing these solutions involves a series of complex social and economic challenges, which should allow us to move towards a reduction in inequalities and an improvement in equity.

This webinar is a meeting point for debate between scientific experts and political leaders from the two cities mentioned above. Their dialogue and ideas will help to better understand the Planetary Health approach, as well as the importance of developing sustainable urban designs that promote health and reduce negative impacts on natural systems, so that cities become agents of preservation of our planet.

This webinar is part of the Partner Events initiative organized by the EU Green Week 2021, taking place from 31st May to 4th June 2021 with the theme of Zero Pollution.

Agenda

13.00 h — Welcome and introductions

Moderated by Marina Erhola (CEO of the Päijät-Häme Joint Authority for Health and Wellbeing) and Josep M. Antó (Research Professor and Former Scientific Director at ISGlobal, Professor of Medicine at Universitat Pompeu Fabra).

13.10 h — The contribution of science

Moderated by Marina Erhola and Josep M. Antó.

• Urban health and mobility. – Mark Nieuwenhuijsen (Research Professor, Director of the Urban Planning, Environment and Health Initiative, and Director of the Air pollution and Urban Environment Programme, ISGlobal)
• Health and nature. – Tari Haahtela (Emeritus Professor, Skin and Allergy Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki)
• Questions and answers. Moderated by Marina Erhola and Josep M. Antó

13.50 h — The role of policy and politics

Moderated by Jaana Halonen (Research Programme Director – Safe and health promoting environment at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare – THL) and Antoni Plasència (General Director at ISGlobal).

• Lahti the European Green Capital 2021. – Pekka Timonen (Mayor of Lahti, Finland)
• Barcelona: tackling the COVID-19 to support sustainable mobility. – Sílvia Casorrán (Deputy Chief Architect, Barcelona City Council)
• A dialogue between science and politics. – All speakers

14.50 h — Closing remarks

Jaana Halonen and Antoni Plasència

Participate in the event

>> Register to the event

>> Send your question to the speakers

>> Join the conversation on Twitter

Organising institutions

• Päijät-Häme Joint Authority for Health and Wellbeing
• Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)