Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in water systems poses a growing threat to public health, biodiversity, and ecosystem health. Driven in part by the rising and often unchecked use of antibiotics, resistant bacteria such as E. coli, commonly found in urban wastewater, are increasingly detected in freshwater and coastal ecosystems. The work of researchers like Anne Leonard at the University of Exeter highlights significant levels of antibiotic residues in aquatic ecosystems, raising urgent concerns about long-term ecological and public health consequences.

Emphasising the need for interdisciplinary collaboration across scientific research, policy innovation, public health departments and governments, and civil society engagement, the session invites participants to think globally, act locally, and see themselves as active contributors in shaping solutions to one of today’s most pressing environmental and public health challenges.

Expert Speaker: M.D Sharma, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Ecology & Conservation, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter