Research

Background

#GHE2026 is an international conference hosted by the Global Health and Environment Interdisciplinary Research Theme (GHE) at the University of Glasgow. It is committed to advancing understanding of and solutions to challenges at the intersection of environmental change, human health, and well-being. #GHE2026 will bring together international researchers from across disciplines to develop and share solutions.

 

Humans shape their environments, from their immediate settings to their impact on global weather, climate, and ecosystems. Health is profoundly shaped by the environments in which we live and dwell. It is a bi-directional flow. The environment can be influenced by anthropogenic activities, including carbon emissions, pollution, overconsumption, the conversion of rainforests to monocropped farming, and waste. The effects on the environment are felt disproportionately, with some sectors more heavily impacted by air pollution, lack of access to clean, drinkable water, or unsafe streets. As we saw in the way the COVID-19 pandemic played out, we were not ‘all in it together’, and the greatest harms were felt by the already most vulnerable: for example, high transmission rates due to environments of domestic overcrowding, or the fact of living in areas with elevated air pollution amplifying risk. From the local to the national to the international scale, those who have the greatest impact on environments are not necessarily those who experience the health harms. ​

 

These unequal capacities to affect and experience environmental change create complex challenges in health and the environment. Addressing them requires ambitious, interdisciplinary approaches.

 

This conference aims to foster critical discussion and innovative solutions, inviting submissions from all disciplines to address these issues.

 

 

We invite you to submit an abstract of up to 250 words that reflects the breadth and interdisciplinarity of the themes outlined above. Submissions are welcome from all who work in areas or research topics related to the #GHE2026 theme of Health, Environment, and Society: Pathways to a Sustainable Future.