A free APHEA-accredited CTEE course by ASPHER and the European Climate and Health Observatory
Climate change and environmental degradation are among the defining public health challenges of our time. Their impacts are already affecting population health, health systems, equity, human rights, and the legal and ethical responsibilities of public health professionals and institutions. This free APHEA-accredited CTEE course introduces participants to the ethical, legal and governance principles that underpin climate and environmental action for public health. It explores the public health mandate for action, international and European legal frameworks, civil liberties, climate justice, mitigation and adaptation policies, health system resilience, stakeholder engagement, communication, advocacy, and the role of public health professionals in advancing fair and effective responses. The course is designed to support public health professionals, students, policymakers, researchers and others working at the intersection of climate, environment and health. It will provide participants with conceptual tools, practical frameworks and applied examples to better understand how law, ethics and governance can support climate and environmental action. Participants will engage with key debates on ethics and values, public health law, governance structures, climate threats, health system resilience, and the role of policy in shaping fair and effective responses for communities in Europe and beyond.
For professionals and students working in or interested in climate and health, ethics, law and governance. All professionals interested in climate, environment and public health are welcome.
Weekly live-virtual sessions (90 minutes).
Live question and answer (Q&A), which will be monitored by the programme team, and questions will be consolidated and addressed to expert lecturers.
Most lectures will be delivered in English
Live course primary language: English, with live-subtitles available in:
The course consists of weekly live-virtual sessions.
Each session will include expert input and opportunities for discussion. Resources such as slide decks, frameworks and suggested readings may be provided to course participants following each session.
Participants who attend >=70% of the live sessions and pass the final exam with a score of >=70% at the end of the course will be awarded a Certificate of Participation from ASPHER/ECHO.
Initiates by registration to both Zoom and the exam with the identical email address. Then, join each class session using the same personal, unique Zoom link and complete the final exam using the email address used to initially register for the course.
Attendance will be automatically recorded during the live Zoom sessions when using the personal Zoom link.
An invitation to take part in the Exam will be sent out on the final day of class via email to all participants that have attended >=70% of all sessions. The exam link activates on December 3rd at 12:00h CET and closes on December 13th at 23:59h CET.
The format of the final exam will consist of a combination of multiple-choice and true/false questions and take between 30 and 60 minutes. Questions and answer options will be available only in English.
Participants should be prepared to take the exam in one sitting.
Passing the exam is a prerequisite to receiving your personal certificate. The invitation to the exam will be sent out automatically to the same email address used to register to the course. No changes will be possible after registration.
Description
This session introduces core concepts in climate change and health, including the definition and drivers of climate change, its direct and indirect impacts on health, and the importance of health adaptation and resilience. It also explores the health co-benefits of climate mitigation, planetary boundaries, and the role of ethics, values, law and governance in climate and environmental action.
Content
Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Lecturer:
Case Study 1:
Case Study 2:
Moderator:
Description
This session explores the legal and ethical mandate for public health action in the context of the climate crisis. It examines professional duties, including the duty to warn and the duty to act, and considers tensions between individual liberty and population health. It also introduces the precautionary principle and the subsidiary principle in EU and national legal contexts as foundations for early intervention.
Content
Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Lecturer:
Case Study 1:
Case Study 2:
Moderator:
Description
This session introduces the international and European legal and policy landscape for climate and environmental action. It covers the architecture of EU climate law, the European Green Deal, Fit for 55, serious cross-border threats to health regulation, infectious disease reporting, environmental law as public health law, compliance and enforcement, and relevant international frameworks including the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement.
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Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Lecturer:
Case Study 1:
Case Study 2:
Moderator:
Description
This session applies public health ethical frameworks to climate-health action. It explores intergenerational equity, solidarity, climate justice and ethical challenges related to public health interventions, including mandatory evacuation and resource prioritisation. The session also considers how public health duties can be balanced with civil and political rights, including freedom of assembly and freedom of speech.
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Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Lecturer:
Case Study 1:
Case Study 2:
Moderator:
Description
This session focuses on justice, equity, human rights and the right to health in climate and environmental policy. It examines the rights to health and to a healthy environment, climate-related rulings and advisory opinions, unequal impacts of climate change within and between countries, universal health coverage, and European and international policy frameworks relevant to climate justice and international cooperation.
Content
Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Lecturer:
Case Study 1:
Case Study 2:
Moderator:
Description
This session explores mitigation strategies and the legal, policy, governance and ethical trade-offs associated with them. It considers legal tools for decarbonisation in transport, energy and housing, ethical trade-offs such as energy poverty and displacement, the role of Health Impact Assessments, and prevention and health promotion as climate mitigation strategies.
Content
Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Lecturer:
Case Study 1:
Case Study 2:
Moderator:
Description
This session examines governance structures and ethical processes for environmental and climate action. It considers commercial determinants of health, conflicts of interest, fossil fuel industry lobbying and litigation, the policy cycle, inter-ministerial and cross-sectoral planning, stakeholder engagement and the embedding of ethical deliberation in responses to climate change and pollution.
Content
Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Lecturer:
Case Study 1:
Case Study 2:
Moderator:
Description
This session focuses on climate adaptation and resilience in health systems. It examines legal requirements for climate-proofing health infrastructure and supply chains, upskilling the health workforce, ethical principles for resource allocation during acute crises, and governance and liability in disaster preparedness and response planning.
Content
Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Lecturer:
Case Study 1:
Case Study 2:
Moderator:
Description
This session explores the role of public health professionals in communication and advocacy for climate action. It considers professional responsibilities in advocating for political action, legal and ethical boundaries of advocacy, protection of freedoms of association, speech and assembly, risk communication ethics, legal compliance in public statements, and distinctions between lobbying, scientific advice and political advocacy.
Content
Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Lecturer:
Case Study 1:
Case Study 2:
Moderator:
Description
The final session brings together the course’s core themes and focuses on the mission, mandate and role of public health professionals and institutions in addressing the climate crisis. It examines the generation and use of data, intelligence and evidence for climate and environmental action, including litigation, and considers the links between climate change, polycrisis and health.
Content
Learning outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Lecturer:
Case Study 1:
Case Study 2:
Moderator:
Registration will open in July 2026. Please use the registration link above or QR code to sign up for the course.
Important: If you want to receive a certificate at the end of the course, your registration email address must be identical to the email address to which the exam invitation should be sent to.
We aim to continuously improve the quality, relevance, and design of our course offerings. Therefore, we kindly ask all participants, independently of certification, to anonymously take part in a brief course evaluation consisting of approximately 10 short questions before and after the course. This will help us better understand participants’ knowledge attainment and retention, as well as gather recommendations for future improvement. Participants will be prompted to complete a baseline questionnaire at registration and a follow-up questionnaire at the end of the course. Those who consent may also receive an invitation by email to complete a 12-month follow-up evaluation.
The final exam will take place between 3 December and 13 December 2026. The exam is a prerequisite to receiving the personal certificate and will assess participants’ understanding of the main ethical, legal and governance concepts covered during the course. All participants registered to receiving a certificate must attend at least 7 out of 10 sessions and score at least 70% in the exam to receive their certificate. Invitations to take the exam will be sent out automatically to all eligible participants.
We thank the following institutions for their generous support:
This course was conceptualised and implemented by an interdisciplinary team of public health, climate, ethics, law and governance experts:
ASPHER Fellow of Climate and Planetary Health
Professor at Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management
Public Health Consultant at University College London
Faculty of Law, University of Groningen
Convenor, public health ethics and law network. Professor of public health ECPD
Professor Emeritus, ASPHER Senior Lead of Climate and Planetary Health
For any inquiries, please contact us.