Blue One Health Dialogues bridges ocean science and human health

On 13 May, the AIR Centre participated in the Blue One Health Dialogues: Bridging Ocean Science and One Health webinar, a global event exploring the connections between ocean health, human wellbeing, and environmental sustainability. The event was co-organised with Fiocruz, the UNESCO Chair for Ocean Sustainability at the University of São Paulo, Lamce/UFRJ, INPO, and One Sustainable Health (OSH) for All, and addressed six key themes: ocean and public health; marine and coastal sustainability; ocean governance and science; environmental surveillance and monitoring; animal and environmental protection; and integrated terrestrial and aquatic health systems.

The webinar included a session organised by the AIR Centre, titled Blue One Health Challenges: from biology to technology. Introduced by Mafalda Carapuço, Deputy Executive Director of the AIR Centre, it reflected on how the relationship between the ocean and human health has evolved over the past decade, from a focus on marine-origin diseases and resources, to a broader framework encompassing the entire water continuum.

The session featured three presentations:

• Ana Faria (AIR Centre) explored the sargassum crisis as a public and environmental health challenge, linking marine ecosystem disruption to the wellbeing of Atlantic coastal communities.
• Sara Lage (Centre of Marine Sciences of the Algarve - CCMAR) addressed the growing threat of harmful algal blooms in marine and freshwater systems, and their risks to ecosystem integrity and human health.
• Anuj Regmi (Storming Universe) presented how technology can democratise access to healthcare, bridging scientific knowledge and underserved communities.

In today's rapidly changing world, discussions like these ones contribute to advancing cross‑disciplinary, Atlantic‑scale science, linking ocean research with the health of people, animals, and ecosystems.