Talk: Can climate change drive infectious diseases?
This event is part of the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition 2026.
We are living in an era of resurgent infectious disease crises, from COVID-19 and Ebola to dengue fever and Zika. Most of these so-called emerging infections share a key feature in common: they originate in wildlife or are transmitted by invertebrates such as mosquitoes and ticks.
How can studying these ecological dimensions of disease help us to better predict and respond to epidemics? And how is climate change reshaping the global landscape of infectious disease?
, an ecologist, epidemiologist and Royal Society University Research Fellow at University College London, investigates how environmental change impacts the health of people and ecosystems. In this talk, he will explain why we cannot understand epidemics in the 21st century without also understanding climate change and its impacts on biodiversity.
Attending the event
This event will be held in Theatre 1 at the Royal Society on Wednesday 1 July 2026, 12pm – 12.30pm.
- Free to attend as part of Summer Science Exhibition on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to seat availability. We recommend that visitors arrive 10-15 minutes before the session
- You can book . For entry slots where priority tickets are now fully booked, walk-up tickets will be available, subject to building capacity. Please be aware you may need to queue for entry
- Suitable for students aged 14+
- This talk will take place in person
- A recording of this talk will be available later on the
- Live subtitles will be available
- Travel and accessibility information and details on planning your visit - contact us directly to arrange any specific accessibility requirements
- Food and drink will be available for purchase at our onsite café
For all enquiries, please email us.