World’s first knowledge portal on climate and health

GENEVA: With assistance from the Wellcome Trust, the Joint Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) inaugurated climahealth.info today, the first global knowledge portal devoted to climate and health. It is in response to the increased demand for knowledge that may be used to safeguard people from the health risks associated with environmental dangers and climate change.

Health and climate are inextricably related. Extreme weather, environmental degradation, and climate change all significantly affect human health and welfare. More people than ever before are at risk for increased climate-related health concerns, including infectious diseases, heat stress, and poor water and air quality.

According to Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, coordinator of the WHO’s Climate Change and Health Programme, “Climate change is killing people right now. It is affecting the basics we need to survive – clean air, safe water, food and shelter – with the worst impacts being felt by the most vulnerable. Unmitigated climate change has the potential to undermine decades of progress in global health. Reducing its impacts requires evidence-based policy backed by the best available science and tools.”

There’s enormous life-saving potential in specialised climate and environmental science and public health technologies, such as illness forecasting and heat health early warning systems.  These information and techniques can help us reach at-risk groups, anticipate and lessen impacts, and improve our understanding of the links between climate change and health.

This new worldwide open-access portal was created by WHO and WMO to serve as the go-to resource for users of interdisciplinary health., environmental, and climate science. The website serves as the joint technical programme’s public face and combines the knowledge and research of the WHO and WMO.

We frequently have conversations with public health professionals who are worried about the effects of the environment on people’s health. However, they do not have access to the education and specific climate data required to address these expanding problems, according to Joy Shumake-Guillemot, Director, WMO-WHO Climate and Health Joint Office. On the other hand, there are climate experts who have access to a wealth of data and materials that could be used to advance public health objectives but aren’t getting to the proper individuals.

Strong partnerships and collaborations are needed between the providers and users of climate information to tailor it for use in the health sector. In order to inform and promote action and investment, ClimaHealth will support the acceleration of multidisciplinary research, national capacity, and the use of evidence and decision-making tools by a wide variety of audiences, from politicians to community groups.