Throughout history, humans have thrived, lived, and reproduced in a wide range of environmental conditions. Consequently, geographic variability has long been an important aspect of health studies. Today, with the ever-increasing pace and magnitude of human impacts on natural systems, there is a growing need to understand and quantify the implications of these changes for global health.

In this course, students will learn the intricate connection between environmental change and human health outcomes across various dimensions. We will focus on the role that environmental changes, such as deforestation, land-use conversion, urbanisation, human migration, international commerce, and climate change, play in shaping contemporary health issues at different geographical scales.

The student will also do some research on specific topics such as the links between infectious and other diseases and the environment, the impacts of food production on land cover changes, the impacts of climate change on human well-being, and discuss economic and policy approaches to address these issues.