In the course held in January 2026, medical students Frida Furelid Nygård, Gyda Bråten Herstad, Eline Fejerskov and Anitta Glen each made their own film about climate and health.
“The course on climate and health was highly relevant in the times we live in now, an excellent course for understanding the connection between climate change and the health challenges it entails,” says Frida Furelid Nygård.
“We students are used to theoretical teaching, and I was a bit skeptical at first about the practical work and whether I would manage to have a finished product ready in such a short time. But the creative process took off in the second week of the course, and in the end I was satisfied with my video – it was a new opportunity to try to think in a completely new way.”
“The students experienced the combination of academic content and work with video production as a strength. Many appreciated creating a concrete final product and alternative learning methods that challenged them a bit outside their comfort zone,” says course leader Erlend T. Aasheim.
Watch the films below: Green health sector – who takes responsibility?; Health personnel, climate and plastic waste – your contribution matters; While the children grow up; Medicines do not heal the planet.
Green health sector – who takes responsibility?
*Nygård has given UiO consent to use the video in accordance with the Creative Commons license BY-NC-ND. Only non-commercial use is permitted.
Health personnel, climate and plastic waste – Your efforts count
*Herstad has given UiO consent to use the video in accordance with the Creative Commons license BY-NC-ND. Only non-commercial use is permitted.
While the children grow up
*Fejerskov has given UiO consent to use the video in accordance with the Creative Commons license BY-NC-ND. Only non-commercial use is permitted.
Medicines do not heal the planet
*Glen has given UiO consent to use the video in accordance with the Creative Commons license BY-NC-ND. Only non-commercial use is permitted.
A sustainable health and care sector
environmental impact through pharmaceuticals, consumables, transport and buildings. The roadmap towards a sustainable, low-emission and climate-adapted health and care sector provides an overview of a range of measures that can be implemented. Such measures do not necessarily require increased resources, but often involve doing things smarter and seeing things in context, so that both personnel and financial resources can be used more efficiently. In addition, many climate measures will also have positive effects on the health of the population.
The course “Climate Change and Health: Your Contribution Matters” has previously been covered in Lancet Planetary Health and the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association, while students’ work has also been featured by Dagens Medisin and the Norwegian College of General Practice.
This year’s course also tested a simulation developed at the Geneva Sustainability Centre, in which students have to choose between various climate measures in the running of a hospital.
“The students experienced the Carbon Emissions Learning Lab as an engaging and instructive simulation tool. The practical and interactive approach contributed to a better understanding of the complexity of climate-related decisions in the health sector,” says course leader Erlend Tuseth Aasheim.
“The students appreciated that the simulation integrates climate impact, economic consequences and considerations for patients and staff. Limitations in the number of measures also contributed to a realistic decision-making situation,” says Professor Emerita Kristin Heggen.