Participation in the First Global Forum on Heat and Health

CCOUC, along with the Centre for Global Health (CGH) and other partners, co-organized and participated in the First Global Forum on Heat and Health from 17 to 20 December 2018, an event headed by the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN) and located in Hong Kong. CCOUC members Professor Emily Chan, Ms Gloria Chan, Dr Holly Lam, Ms Asta Man and Ms Janice Ho participated in the conference. The conference addresses themes such as partnerships and capacity building, communications and outreach, managing heat risks, weather and climate information to facilitate action, and understanding risk and predicting health outcomes.

During the conference, Professor Chan delivery a keynote speech on the global and local overview of heat health research frontiers, including the latest frontiers from the Hong Kong Observatory, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong University. In addition, Ms Chan and Dr Lam were invited to speak during various panel discussions on heat-related action and innovation, and heat protective behaviours. Two posters were also presented, entitled “Personal heat protective measures during the 2017 heatwave in Hong Kong: a telephone survey” and “Effects of high temperature on existing allergic symptoms among adults: an exploratory cross-sectional telephone survey”. Of the four site visits, Ms Man participated in the Poverty Simulation Lab, hosted by the World Green Organisation, to further explore how heat health is compounded by living in subdivided flats in Hong Kong.

In particular, this forum highlighted the need for an interdisciplinary approach across all societal levels to address this silent disaster and ensuring multiple policy frameworks (e.g. Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals) are utilized and subsequent actions are efficiently communicated to the public.