UT associate professor: climate change could cause hundreds of excessive deaths in future

From 9 to 12 October, an international environmental conference focusing on environmental sustainability will take place in Estonia for the first time. The topics include global climate change about which Estonia needs to be forward-looking and find ways to adapt with, for example, the average temperature increase.

Speakers at the international environmental conference EcoBalt2016 session on adapting to climate change include among others UT Associate Professor of Environmental Health Hans Orru who will discuss the effects of climate change and the need to adapt.

Orru described that according to the more pessimistic scenarios, the average temperature in Estonia might increase 2.7 degrees by mid-century and 4.3 degrees by the end of the century: “As a result, we will have more days with at least 30 degrees and in 1996–2013 we have on these days witnessed an 18% increase in the population mortality rate and a 45% increase in the age group of over 75. As it might cause hundreds of excessive deaths in the future, we need to set up effective warning systems and develop action plans to know how to act in case of a warning.”

In addition to adapting to climate change, the conference addresses the topics of sustainable living environments and green chemistry, introduces the newest developments in environmental research, the various aspects of environmental management and the newest directions in environmental analyses. Separate sessions are dedicated to the “green city” and various environmental pollution issues.

More than 140 participants from 25 countries from Europe and further have registered for the conference. The programme includes more than 40 oral presentations, 40 poster presentations and there will also be various training sessions.

The conference is organised at the initiative of the Estonian Center of Analytical Chemistry in cooperation of UT, Tallinn University of Technology and the Estonian Environmental Research Centre. The conference is supported by the Estonian Environmental Research Centre and Enterprise Estonia.

Have a look at the programme of EcoBalt 2016.

Additional information:
Riin Rebane, UT Research Fellow in Analytical and Physical Chemistry
50 52 696
riin.rebane@ut.ee