As the world faces rising temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events, the health impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly urgent.
Against this backdrop, more than 200 international researchers, policymakers, and experts on climate and health will convene in Tallinn, Estonia, from 16 to 18 October 2025 for ENBEL2025 — the second edition of the transdisciplinary conference on Connecting Health and Climate Change.
Building on the success of the first ENBEL2023 conference, this year’s conference provides a dynamic arena to share new research and engage in critical discussions on the health impacts of climate change, adaptation strategies, social inequalities, and opportunities for climate-resilient development.
"Climate change is already intensifying extreme weather events and directly affecting people's health. We must treat it as a public health emergency, requiring urgent adaptation strategies and the same level of urgency and international cooperation we apply to security challenges," said prof. Hans Orru from University of Tartu, the leading member of the conference scientific and organizing committee.
The conference features world-leading climate-health expert Professor Kristie Ebi, alongside top scientists such as Antonio Gasparrini (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) and Rachel Lowe (Barcelona Supercomputing Center / ICREA). These global voices are complemented by vital perspectives from the Global South, including Gloria Maimela (Foundation for Professional Development, South Africa) and Sarath Guttikunda (UrbanEmissions.Info, India). The programme also connects to EU policy and funding, with contributions from Alex Mulet Indrayanti (European Commission, DG RTD), and offers a climate science perspective from Piia Post (University of Tartu).
“At ENBEL 2025, world-leading experts and local actors meet to turn evidence into action – bridging science, policy, and practice to protect health in a changing climate,” said Kristin Aunan, Research Director at CICERO Center for International Climate Research.
The conference addresses critical issues including mental health impacts, social justice, vulnerable populations, nature-based solutions, and health co-benefits—bringing together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and the United States.
The three-day conference includes keynote panels, parallel sessions, poster presentations and field- excursions and will be opened by Kristi Klaas, Deputy Secretary General at the Ministry of Climate of Estonia.
“The climate crisis and the public health crisis are not two separate chapters but are part of the same story. To rewrite the story of climate and health, every voice is essential. We need the critical insights of researchers, the decisive mobilization of citizens to drive change, and the unified will of all sectors to secure a healthier future we can share,” said Junwen Guo, researcher and research coordinator at Umeå University.
University of Tartu in Estonia, Umeå University in Sweden, and CICERO Center for International Climate Research in Norway are the organizers behind the conference. The first edition of this conference was organized in Stockholm in 2023 by the same institutions in the framework of the EU-funded ENBEL project — Enhancing Belmont Research Action to support EU policy making on climate change and health — that ran from 2020 until 2024.
The programme with all speakers can be found on www.enbel2025.ee
Registration remains open for virtual participation. If you are interested, please get in touch with the organisers at this email address: marilin.poogen@ut.ee
Follow the conversation: #ENBEL2025