Health + Climate Forum 2025 Program
Parliament House, Canberra
For Day 1 of our forum we bring together leaders from health, politics, and advocacy to explore the critical intersections between human health and our environment. We will examine the health impacts of current policies on energy, environmental protection, and climate change - and identify pathways toward a healthier future for our communities and the planet upon which we all depend.
The day will feature keynote addresses from national and international thought leaders, alongside dynamic panel discussions that dive into the evidence and explore practical solutions for improving both human and planetary health.
09:00
MC Opening
Introduction to the forum with our MC Dr Kate Wylie
09:10
Welcome to Country - Tina King Brown, Ngunnawal Elder
DEA acknowledges that our forum is being held on Ngunnawal Country. We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as the traditional owners of the land on which Parliament House sits. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and connections to their land, water and community and pay respect to the Elders of the Ngunnawal Nation past, present and emerging. Always was always will be.
9:20
Opening address from the Hon Kate Thwaites MP
We are honoured to have the Hon Kate Thwaites MP and Special Envoy for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience with the Department of Climate Change Energy the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) give the opening address for the day, outlining the governments intentions regarding emissions reductions and preparedness for climate impacts.
09:30
Treating our planet's health - Dr Kate Wylie, Executive Director, Doctors for the Environment Australia
Dr Wylie will introduce our day outlining the program and provide an overview of the state of our planets health. She will describe how we have breached the safe operating zone for climate change, biodiversity loss, freshwater use and other planetary health boundaries due to our dependency on fossil fuels and outline a treatment pathway to move us on from coal, oil and gas to protect the health of everything we hold dear.
09:50
Climate care is health care - Distinguished Laureate Professor Nicholas Talley AC, Board Chair Doctors for the Environment Australia
Professor Talley is a world renowned gastroenterologist, public health physician, researcher and educator. He will discuss how climate change is impacting our health in multiple myriad ways and undermining the capacity of our health systems to care for our communities. He will speak to the responsibility that health professionals and the broader community have in doing everything we can to address this extreme health threat and the opportunities we have to treat climate change.
10:10
Pacific Communities: the lived experience of our changing climate - Dr Jemesa Tudravu, Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services, Fiji Government
We are honoured to have Dr Tudravu participating in our forum. For the Pacific Community, climate change is lived reality that is having severe detrimental health impacts including sea level rise, food and water insecurity, infectious disease and displacement. The profound impact of the loss of country on cultural, physical and psychological health cannot be understated.
As Australia looks to host COP31 with the Pacific Nations next year, it is vital that we highlight this real-world experience.
10:30
Panel - Energy Policy and Health Inequity
Our first panel of the day will explore how health is being impacted by the energy we use to power our homes, cities and communities. Our reliance on coal oil and gas not only impacts global heating but also has direct health impacts from air pollution. Our energy policy should protect both our domestic and global community rather than adding to the disease burden.
Our panellists are:
Our facilitator is Dr Kimberley Humphrey, DEA board member and the Climate Change Lead at SA Health.
11:10 Morning Tea
11:40
First Nations experience of climate change - Francis Nona, Torres Strait Island leader, Lecturer of Indigenous Strategy, Carumba Institute
Mr Nona is a descendent of the Dhoebow clan of Saibai Island and has strong ties to Badu Island in the Torres Straits. He is a lecturer and researcher at QUT. He brings to academia a strong understanding of cultural engagement and protocol from his Country and an understanding of the health system as it applies to First Nations and other Australians. Mr Nona will speak to his experience and discuss the health impacts of climate change for First Nations people.
12:00
Panel - Planetary Health: How the health of our planet impacts the health of our communities
The impacts of planetary health on our human civilisation and the natural world are being felt all across the globe. There is not any nation who has not been impacted by climate pollution, extreme heat and severe weather. Whilst some of us in a wealthy nation like Australia may be buffered by its health impacts, there are part of our world that are becoming increasingly uninhabitable. The panel will explore our international obligations and ways that we can effect positive change.
Our panellists are:
Our facilitator is Dr Aditya Vyas, DEA board member and Co-chair of CAPHIA Climate and Public Health Education Network.
12:40
Air pollution - Dr Carolyn Orr, DEA board secretary
Burning fossil fuels not only causes climate change, it also is one of worlds major causes of air pollution which has profound impacts on our physical health. Climate change is increasing the severity of bush fires, another major source of air pollution, as is the smoke from wood fired stoves and heating.
Dr Orr will demonstrate how this pollution impacts our health across our lifespan and will outline what we can do to reduce this health threat and protect ourselves from harm.
13:00
Caring for Water - Senator Sarah Hanson Young - The Australian Greens
Water insecurity is becoming an increasingly present problem for South Australians, due to drought and the impacts of climate on the Murray-Darling Basin. The ecological collapse being seen in local waters due to the algal bloom is bringing home the importance of climate action to protect biodiversity and human health.
13:10 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00
A word from our sponsor: Supporting Sustainable Healthcare Systems.
Roger Sharp, BUPA’s Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer, will briefly outline their sustainability strategy focused on building a healthy future for both people and planet.
14:10
We can afford to act on climate and we can't afford not to - Richard Denniss, The Australia Institute
Economist Dr Denniss, will rebut the common argument that climate action is too expensive and demonstrate how we can afford to move on from fossil fuels if we choose to do so. He will further discuss how centrism in Australian politics is a barrier to a just transition, demonstrating how the sensible centre and evidence based policy are not the same thing.
14:40
Panel - Preparing healthcare for our changing climate
As the impacts of climate change are increasingly felt in the clinical practice of doctors and nurses in Australia, it is important that our health system is equipped to meet the challenge. This panel will discuss what our health sector is doing to both mitigate its carbon footprint and prepare for the impacts of climate pollution.
Our panellists are:
Our facilitator is Dr Angie Bone, DEA board member and Associate Professor of Practice in Planetary Health at Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University.
15:20
Panel - Healthy planet, healthy people: why caring for nature is caring for ourselves
A healthy environment is fundamental to the health of human beings, but our environment is being harmed by ongoing fossil fuel expansion and deforestation. This panel will discuss the importance of environmental policy and environmental decision making on our human health and the health of the planet on which we rely.
Our panellists are:
Our facilitator is Dr Shaun Watson, senior neurologist and DEA board member.
16:00
Closing remarks
*Please note: This Program is correct as of the time of publishing but may be updated, added to, or amended prior to the event
Old Parliament House, Canberra
Day 2 sees us move across the road to Old Parliament House for solutions-focused sessions that explore practical, evidence-based strategies to respond to the environmental determinants of health.
We begin the day with keynotes on the planetary health costs of warfare from Dr Richard Brennan AO and how we can pay for planetary health from Stefanie Kelton author of The Deficit Myth.
We then break off into our workshops streams that look at prescribing for planetary health, campaigning for change, supporting our mental health and discussing the global health response.
09:00
Smoking Ceremony: Warren Daley, Ngunnawal Elder
Join us for a smoking ceremony in the courtyard at Old Parliament House. For the Ngunnawal people, it's a way to welcome people to their land, show respect, and create a positive and safe environment.
DEA acknowledges that our forum is being held on Ngunnawal Country. We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as the traditional owners of the land on which Old Parliament House sits. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and connections to their land, water and community and pay respect to the Elders of the Ngunnawal Nation past, present and emerging. Always was always will be.
10:00
The climate and health impact of war - Dr Richard Brennan AO , Director, WHO’s Emergency Risk Management and Humanitarian Response unit. Interviewed by Assoc Prof Adi Vyas.
Rick Brennan is an emergency medicine and public health physician specialising in humanitarian assistance, pandemic preparedness, and emergency management. He has experience in over 50 counties across five continents, most recently as Regional Emergency Director for the World Health Organization in the Eastern Mediterranean. Rick will speak to his recent report In the Line of Fire: Protecting Health in Armed Conflict
10:30
How we pay for a healthy planet - Stephanie Kelton, US economist, proponent of Modern Monetary Theory and previous advisor to Bernie Sanders. Interviewed by Prof Steve Robson
Stefanie Kelton is a world leading American economist and academic and a leading proponent of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). She and Prof Robson will discuss how MMT challenges the deficit myth and how we can make pragmatic economic choices that support our communities to thrive and address our dependency on fossil fuels without compromising our health.
11:00 Morning Tea
11:30 Workshops 1
|
Stream 1: Prescribing for Planetary Health |
Stream 2: Campaigning for Change |
Stream 3: Consultation workshops |
|
Greening the Health System Implementing high value, low carbon healthcare using systems theory and sector driven action. Facilitators: Drs Mike Forrester and Cindy Needham |
Advocacy Skills Workshop Using our collective voices to campaign for political action to move on from fossil fuels. Facilitators: Leigh Ewbanks, Solutions for Climate Australia, Dr Kim Loo, Dr Louise Woodward, Michelle Isles and Kent Getsinger |
ATACH Consultation Workshop DEA is the health representative on this working group of the World Health Organisation. Join us to have your say on the global health response to climate change. |
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 Workshops 2
|
Stream 1: Prescribing for Planetary Health |
Stream 2: Campaigning for Change |
Stream 3: Consultation workshops |
|
Reducing plastic and waste in healthcare Addressing ways to reduce the immense amount of plastic waste generated in our health care practice. Facilitator: Associate Professor Forbes McGain |
Climate Litigation Discussing how we can use the courts to enable climate action and protect our environment from fossil fuels projects. Facilitators: Jess Border, Ruby Hamilton and Kate Evans, Environment Defenders Office. |
Climate Aware Practice Working with Psychology for a Safe Climate on how we incorporate climate mental health impacts into our professional and person lives. Facilitators: Bronwyn Gresham and Christie Wilson, Psychology for a Safe Climate. |
15:20-15:40 Afternoon Tea
15:40 Workshops 3
|
Stream 1: Prescribing for Planetary Health |
Stream 2: Campaigning for Change |
Stream 3: Consultation workshops |
|
Nature and Health Workshop how we can protect biodiversity and improve physical health with practical real world solutions. Facilitator: Assoc Prof Ken Winkel |
Healthy Investment Explore the power of our financial choices to reduce the power of the fossil fuel industry. Facilitators: Brett Morgan, Market Forces and Dr Helen Redmond. |
Members consultation Members only workshop to provide feedback to the board and staff on DEA's future direction and strategy. Facilitators: Prof Nick Talley, A/Prof Chris Leung. |
5.30pm
Cocktail Evening - Old Parliament House
After a big day, join us for a fun filled evening of entertainment, with musical comedian Hamish Hudson.
Hamish is known for his sharp wit and bent views on Australian life. As one the country’s top musical comedians, he has the ability to take you on a delightful journey from world class song writing to the cheekier-side of profanities. Hamish's music is clever, simple, poignant and everything non-pc, leaving audiences wanting more and singing his ridiculously ear worming lyrics for days. His refreshingly honest persona, musicality and hilarious take on life culminate in an evenings entertainment not to be missed.
*Please note: This Program is correct as of the time of publishing but may be updated, added to, or amended prior to the event
Old Parliament House, Canberra
To complete our forum we will explore how to solve complex wicked problems with an introduction to systems theory before conducting a Warm Data Lab.
09:00
Members only meeting:
For DEA members only to meet with the board and discuss DEA's direction and strategy.
10:00
An introduction to systems theory - Dr Cindy Needham, Research Fellow at Deakin University
Systems theory is a framework that views things as interconnected parts of a whole, rather than isolated elements. . It emphasizes the relationships and interactions between these parts and how they influence each other within a larger system. This approach is used across various disciplines to understand complex phenomena by examining the interplay of different factors and their impact on the overall system
10.30 - 10.45am Morning Tea
10:45
Warm data labs
Warm Data Labs are group processes that help people understand how things are interconnected. They make it easier to see patterns in complex systems, even for those unfamiliar with systems theory. This approach supports the development of new ways to respond to today’s societal challenges, sorely needed considering the complexity of solving the problems of supporting health in our changed climate.
Facilitated by Dr Kris Barnden, Helen Rawlinson, April Crawford-Smith and Chris Post the warm data lab will help us make sense of the complexity that must be addressed for us to treat our planets health. The topic that we will be workshopping to solve will only be disclosed on the day, but will not be health or climate related. The point being to allow attendees to think in new ways rather than falling into "usual thought mode." Not to be missed.
12.45pm
To complete our forum attendees invited to take the Planetary Health Pledge
*Please note: This Program is correct as of the time of publishing but may be updated, added to, or amended prior to the event