Annabelle to explore relationship between climate policy and health outcomes

Annabelle
Workman.

Annabelle Workman was like a nervous schoolgirl and probably with good reason for she was about to present for her PhD confirmation.

She is studying for her PhD through the EU Centre on Shared Complex Challenges, with the intention of looking at the relationship between climate policy and health outcomes in Australia, China and the European Union.

About 50 people, including Annabelle’s supervisors, gathered in the Fitz Lowe Theatre at the University of Melbourne’s School of Sciences on Thursday to hear how she intended to complete the thesis.

A Professor of Atmospheric Science in the School of Earth Sciences and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science at the University, David Karoly, introduced Annabelle.

Watching on were fellow supervisors, the Deputy Director of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute at the university and Professorial Fellow Melbourne School of Global Health, Professor John Wiseman, and Dr Grant Blashki, who has been a practicing GP for more than 20 years and is an Associate Professor in Global Health at the Nossal Institute for Global Health.

Also in the audience of about 50 was an advisor who Annabelle has said had been a wonderful inspiration, Fiona Armstrong, who is the founder and convenor the Melbourne-based Climate and Health Alliance.

Annabelle, who has majored in Political Science and Chinese as an undergraduate at Melbourne University has also completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Environments, specialising in Public Health, while working for the National Health and Medical Research Council, was clearly apprehensive about yesterday’s confirmation.

She had walked to the Fritz Lowe Theatre in her rubber thongs, forgetting her more formal shoes. Fortunately, her husband, Jacob, was coming along and brought with him the shoes Annabelle needed.

Chatting before yesterday's presentation by
Annabelle, were Professor John Wiseman (left),
Dr Grant Blashki and Fiona Armstrong.

A flyer promoting yesterday’s special event said: “When the health (and other) impact of climate change, world leaders are yet to commit to action on climate change commensurate to the likelihood and severity of risks, as outline by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

“Climate change has significant consequences for human health that are already being felt, and will be exacerbated if business as usual continues.”

Annabelle explain to those at yesterday’s seminar how she intended to restrict research for her thesis to Australia, China and European case studies and within that limit it to state players and not concern herself with regional or local issues.

Special emphasis, she explained, would also be put on mitigation as opposed to adaptation.

Warm applause and several piercing questions followed Annabelle’s presentation, which was a reflection of her name, in that it was very “Workman-like”.