Today, we are publishing the report “Climate Change and the Big Three“, where we analyze how the global health landscape is being reshaped by the escalating effects of climate change on people’s health. The document delves deeply into how phenomena such as rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and the increase in extreme weather events are intensifying the burden of communicable diseases, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable populations and health systems already under pressure, while deepening existing economic and health inequities.
With regards to the transmission of infectious diseases, and specifically the ‘Big Three’ (malaria, tuberculosis (TB), and HIV), climate change shapes and multiplies how these diseases spread through its direct impact on the environment (e.g., changes in weather patterns affecting vector breeding areas) and through its direct impact on societies (e.g., forced displacement after floods or droughts increases transmission, mortality, and worsens treatment adherence). Climate change also multiplies health inequities, directly influencing the social determinants of health (i.e., the conditions in which people are born, live, work, and age—such as poverty, housing, education, and access to healthcare), making vulnerable regions and populations more prone to suffer the consequences of its impact. In terms of health equity and justice, this is relevant not only because health inequities increase due to the climate crisis, but also because those more exposed are also the populations that have contributed less to the current situation. Different relevant actors in the global health architecture have started addressing the climate emergency, as it has a direct impact on their mandates.
This means that these actors are adapting their responses, incorporating mitigation and adaptation strategies as part of their mandates, with the aim to reduce emissions or help partners at the country level to adapt their health systems. Although the incorporation of the climate agenda in global health institutions and initiatives makes sense, considering its present and future impact, the literature reflecting on how global health initiatives are incorporating climate policies is scarce.
This report explores how climate change influences the spread and severity of malaria, TB, and HIV/AIDS. The report aims to contribute to the emerging attention received on how global health organizations are addressing the effects of climate change, with a specific focus on the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. By integrating climate resilience into their strategies, global health initiatives can help mitigate the growing health disparities exacerbated by climate change.
If you’re interested, you can read it here.
