Café Scientifique: Impact of climate change to public health

Tuesday 15 July 2014

Dr Amos Tai to investigate impacts of climate change to public health at British Council’s Café Scientifique
Renowned earth science professor to bring science to life

Changing patterns of extremely hot days, air pollution episodes, and mosquito-borne illnesses have been troubling Hong Kong and many places in the world, and have resulted in different kinds of public health threats. In order to investigate the impacts of climate change to public health, the British Council has invited Dr Amos P K Tai, Assistant Professor in the Earth System Science Programme of the Faculty of Science at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, to reveal the implications for daily life in Hong Kong, and strategies for a sustainable future at the Café Scientifique on 30 July 2014.

In recent years, the impacts of climate change have gone far beyond the iconic picture of polar bears losing their homes. We have been seeing or experiencing emerging health threats on climate change, such as heat stress, more prevalent infectious diseases, alteration of quality, water scarcity and food in security. While the impacts of climate change are beginning to endanger the health and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people, it is important for the public to understand the implications of climate change and learn to create a sustainable future together. Dr Tai will make use of his research on the complex interactions between climate, atmospheric chemistry and the biosphere to discuss aspects that directly impact human society.

Details of Café Scientifique –Impact of climate change to public health:

Date: 30 July 2014 (Wednesday)

Time: 7.00 p.m. – 8.00 p.m. (doors open at 6.30 p.m.)
Location: Room 307, British Council, Supreme Court Road, Admiralty
Free admission. Registration is required at http://www.britishcouncil.hk/en/events/cafe-scientifique.

As the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations, the British Council has been fostering partnerships between individuals and institutions in the UK and Hong Kong to share the benefits of science and create a wider public awareness of science and technology. Café Scientifique, one of the key science programmes organised by the British Council, aims to make science accessible to the public and to break down the perceived barriers between scientists and the public. To learn more about British Council’s Café Scientifique, please visit http://www.britishcouncil.hk/en/programmes/education/science/cafe-scientifique.

Notes to Editor

About Professor Amos P K Tai

Dr Amos P K Tai is an Assistant Professor in the Earth System Science Programme of the Faculty of Science at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research examines the complex interactions between climate, atmospheric chemistry and the biosphere, focusing on aspects that directly impact human society such as air pollution, climate change, agriculture, and public health.

Before he joined CUHK, Dr Tai was a Croucher Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT, where he also obtained his BSc degree. He obtained his PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering from Harvard, where he examined the effects of climate change on particulate matter air quality. Born and raised in subtropical Hong Kong, Dr Tai is an insect enthusiast and hopes to become an amateur entomologist. He also delights in communicating science to non-scientists on especially topics such as environmental conservation and integration of faith and science.

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.

We work in more than 100 countries and our 7,000 staff – including 2,000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year by teaching English, sharing the Arts and delivering education and society programmes. In Hong Kong, we have been doing this since 1948, giving people opportunities to learn, share and connect worldwide.

We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. A core publically-funded grant-in-aid provides less than 25 per cent of our turnover, which last year was £781m. The rest of our revenues are earned from services which customers around the world pay for, through education and development contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations. All our work is in pursuit of our charitable purpose and supports prosperity and security for the UK and globally.