Science for Sustainability

The 16th Annual Schools Science Conference was held on 24th April 2019 at University of Westminster

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Welcome to
Science for Sustainability

The theme of the 16th Schools Science Conference is Science for Sustainability

This focuses on sustaining the health of people through the health of the planet.

In a period of increasing environmental awareness we need to consider how essential science, and scientific developments can be delivered in an environmentally friendly and a cost effective manner to benefit the health of us all.

As most people are aware, the health of the nation is inextricably linked to the state of our environment.
Scientists must choose wisely when balancing research for disease prevention versus disease treatment.
An example of this can be found with the increasing levels of asthma seen in school children in the UK today.
In the UK we have one of the highest rates of asthma in Europe with 1 in 11 children suffering and a study in 2014 showed that 90% of child deaths from asthma could have been prevented with the right care.
Since this study the number of children (aged 0-14) dying from asthma has dropped by 48% illustrating that by focussing on prevention as well as cure we can make improvements.
Of course, the rates of childhood asthma have increased partly because of the poor air quality in urban areas.
So scientists also have to look at the wider causes of medical problems when determining how to prioritise clinical research.
Can you think of other medical conditions that are linked to our environment?