The Jameel Arts & Health Lab and the World Health Organization Europe (WHO) have organised a special public panel event marking the launch of a new policy brief in the Arts and Health series, “Highlighting the role of arts and culture in addressing the health impacts of climate change.” What if the key to tackling the climate crisis lies in our culture – in what we create and imagine and how we connect with one another?

This session will bring together actor and climate advocate Mark Ruffalo, Invisible Dust’s Artistic Director Alice Sharp, and international experts to explore how arts and culture can support communities to understand, respond to, and take action on the health challenges posed by climate change. The discussion will highlight the role of creativity in fostering wellbeing, strengthening connection, and building resilience.

As Mark Ruffalo has noted:

“This is our moment. The solutions are right in front of us—we have all the energy and technology needed right here on the surface of the earth. If we invest our resources in our communities, we could ensure that all of us have access to green spaces, healthy foods, health care, and clean air.” – Time Magazine, 2023

This Jameel Arts & Health Lab and World Health Organization Europe (WHO) session explores the essential contribution of arts and culture in helping communities understand, adapt to, and act on the health challenges of climate change – fostering wellbeing, connection, and resilience in the process.

Invisible Dust has been leading work in this field internationally for the last 17 years; through artworks such as Breathe:Lahore by Dryden Goodwin in Pakistan and current programmes in Brazil and Finland. Breathe involved drawings of local air pollution campaigners projected onto city streets to inspire action. This follows our work with international advocate Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah whose daughter Ella was the first person in the world to have air pollution listed as a cause of her death aged 9. In the High Court case they said the levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) near Ella’s home had exceeded WHO guidelines as it does for 99% of the world’s population.

Alice is currently curating Climate Clock for Oulu EU Capital of Culture Finland opening in June 2026 in which artists remind us that nature has its own time. These artworks recognise that time spent in nature has benefits for addressing the climate as well as our mental health

Alice will contribute her new thinking for the future and enormous experience in how the arts inspire change in this global conversation. The launch will feature leads from WHO Europe and the WHO Environment and Health Office, along with representatives from ministries of culture and health across several countries. The discussion will focus on how creative sectors can accelerate equitable and imaginative responses to climate-related health risks.