Glasgow Changing Futures

The panel, which met on 16th September at the University of Glasgow, has called for a multi-solving approach to tackle the interconnected global challenges of health inequality and the climate crisis. A redesign of current economic structures, community-centred action, narratives that guide the understanding of uncertainty, new definitions of ‘a good life’ and accessible and nurturing places are just a few examples of solutions that the panel explored. 

Upskilling future thinkers and doers 

"Desirable futures don't happen by accident," emphasised Petra Meier, Professor of Public Health and GCF Academic Lead for Healthy and Equitable Futures, who moderated the discussion on "Multi-Solving for a Healthy, Equitable and Sustainable Future".  

Professor Meier noted that universities have a role to play as intellectual powerhouses and thought leaders, as evidence providers and educators to shape future outcomes.  

“We seek to educate and upskill future thinkers and doers. We need to create the right conditions for new thinking and new ideas to emerge to solve problems we’re facing now without creating future problems,” she said. 

The interconnected nature of global challenges 

Sir Michael, author of the influential Marmot Reviews, has long advocated for a holistic approach to health equity. The Marmot Principles recognise the importance of action across many policy sectors, stressing the role of a good start in life, economic security, healthy places, and strong communities. In 2020, the principles were extended to call for action to pursue the goals of environmental sustainability and health equity together. The panel discussion considered this relationship, seeking to identify solution spaces that address future threats to health equity and the unfolding climate and biodiversity crises.  

In his introductory talk, Sir Michael argued that health inequalities and environmental degradation are not separate problems but interconnected challenges requiring integrated solutions. 

Recalling his tenure as Chair of the World Health Organisation Commission on Social Determinants of Health as well as recent trends in social mobility and declining optimism about future generations, Marmot called for collaborative action to turn the tide. 

Working with the UK Climate Change Committee, Marmot examined whether health improvement initiatives would support net zero targets across key areas including employment, transport, housing, food systems, and air quality. He cautioned that environmental measures designed to combat climate change (such as green taxes or low-emission zones) could inadvertently deepen social inequalities if not carefully implemented. A clear "social gradient" exists across all transport modes, where access to both environmentally friendly and polluting forms of transport depends on personal wealth. 

"We can't deal with the environmental crisis without a whole set of social interventions that will also deliver greater health equity," Marmot argued, noting that his original WHO commission report failed to address planetary health or redesign international financial arrangements – gaps now recognised as critical. 

He issued a stark warning about technology, or, to use the words of Yannis Varoufakis, the former finance minister of Greece, “technofeudalism”. 

The growing influence of "technofeudals" over public policy is concerning, and progress toward sustainability and health equity requires seizing control from these powerful interests through collective action, Marmot declared. 

Sir Michael also noted that autocratic leaders have recently been attacking climate science because addressing the crisis demands progressive social interventions. "The truth has a liberal bias; evidence is progressive," he stated, arguing that environmental solutions inherently promote greater health equity. 

What we owe future generations 

Rich Mitchell, Professor of Health and Environment at the University of Glasgow’s School of Health and Wellbeing, highlighted cities as crucial testing grounds for multi-solving approaches. His research shows that urban environments both concentrate and distribute opportunities and risks inequitably. 

"We owe future generations places that shape more equitable and more sustainable lives," Mitchell explained, advocating for "salutogenic" cities that help create and maintain health while being "equigenic" – environments that actively promote equity and reduce inequalities. 

He used green spaces as an example of multi-solving: they help communities adapt to climate change, reduce emissions, improve mental health, and provide spaces for physical and social activity. 

Jaime Toney, Professor of Environmental and Climate Science and GCF Academic Lead for Sustainable Futures, noted that, from the climate science perspective, we already failed to consider intergenerational justice in terms of the legacy and challenges. 

This year, the world has exceeded the 1.5°C global temperature increase limit established under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, pushing the planet into a "severe risk" category for human health, livelihoods, and ecosystem stability.  

“As we are moving away from mitigation to adaptation, the real challenge ahead of us is transitioning from refining probabilistic models of climate change and working with other disciplines and practitioners to translate climate and environmental data into narratives that support understanding of the uncertainty within these projections,” she observed. Climate scientists need to communicate these projections to allow connections to social and health systems.  

The economic system challenge and the community agency empowerment 

The panel confronted fundamental questions about whether current economic structures can deliver sustainable, equitable futures and postulated that they may be fundamentally incompatible with achieving these outcomes. 

Marmot referenced Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz's critique of neoliberalism, arguing that leaving everything to market forces leads to inequality and environmental destruction. The concentration of wealth has returned to Gilded Age levels, but it doesn’t mean it's permanent, and government interventions are might be required to correct the course. 

The panel discussed tensions between top-down policy solutions and community-led change. Jude Robinson, Professor in Health and Wellbeing and a social anthropologist, challenged conventional definitions of "good life", questioning whether advancement that doesn't include everyone truly represents progress. 

“Is it a good life for us, or is it a good life for everybody on their own terms? A good life, like poverty, is not an absolute measure.” commented Robinson. 

Manira Ahmad, Chief Officer at Public Health Scotland, discussed the 'messiness' of existing systems and places. “If places aren’t nurturing and accessible, it puts a burden on the individuals who are trying to live well,” she noted. 

She highlighted practical examples like abandoning off-peak transport fares as interventions that make a real difference to communities. She endorsed bringing social influencers and advocates into public health and climate discussions rather than dismissing them as a way of counteracting false narratives. She warned that it is going to get more difficult to get ahead of the misinformation being spread, but inclusion and collaboration with community advocates is the way forward. 

"We need to be inclusive and consult communities: change happens at grass roots," summed up Ahmed. 

Jason Gill, Professor of Cardiometabolic Health from the School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health, University of Glasgow, who was in the audience, emphasised that "understanding the positions of people who don't agree with us is vital" – a point Marmot endorsed, noting his successful work with local governments led by representatives from different political parties. 

Looking forward: future by design not disaster 

The panel concluded with cautious optimism about the possibility of systemic change. Marmot noted that even small improvements – like a 4% reduction in child poverty in North Ayrshire – represent meaningful progress while acknowledging that fundamental transformation remains necessary. 

"I used to call myself an evidence-based optimist. But optimism implies things will get better. I think that I'm hopeful – hope is the opposite of fear. It’s not that we know that things will get better. If we're hopeful, we can make a difference," acknowledged Marmot. 

Recalling her work with communities to help them realise their own agency, Professor Jaime Toney concluded, "The future's collaborative; we need to learn more about other people's perspectives. We should aim to achieve, to quote the Global Footprint Network’s slogan, a future by design, not disaster’." 

 

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About the Panel 

• Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Epidemiologist and Director of the Institute of Health Equity, UCL  

• Professor Rich Mitchell, Professor of Health and Environment, University of Glasgow  

• Professor Jaime Toney, Professor of Environmental and Climate Science, University of Glasgow – GCF Sustainable Futures lead  

• Professor Jude Robinson, Professor of Health & Wellbeing, University of Glasgow 

• Manira Ahmad, Chief Officer, Public Health Scotland 

• Professor Petra Meier, Professor of Public Health, University of Glasgow - Moderator and GCF Healthy and Equitable Futures lead 

 

First published: 24 September 2025