New paper on integrating public health in European climate adaptation
In order for health risks to be better integrated into adaptation policy and planning, it is critical to interconnect national and urban levels, reduce sectoral thinking and welcome external expertize and facilitate large-scale data collection and sharing of health and climate indicators, argues Annechien D. Hoeben et. al in a paper in Climate Policy.
The paper was published (open access) in the journal Climate Policy in December 2022.
The study assessed to what extent public health is integrated into European national and urban climate change adaptation policy and planning. The paper provides a baseline assessment and offers recommendations to help climate and health policymakers in adaptation. The authors analyzed European climate change National Adaptation Strategies and National Adaptation Plans and carried out interviews with experts and policymakers across Europe that are directly involved in the development of climate plans at city level.
The study found e.g. that at national level:
Efforts to address vector-borne diseases and heat-related illness are comprehensively covered.
Climate-related health risks such as water-borne diseases, injuries from extreme weather and cardiopulmonary health are neglected.
Efforts to address climate-related health risks such as undernutrition, malnutrition and mental health are overlooked.
According to authors Annechien Dirkje Hoeben, Ilona M. Otto and Matthew F. Chersich, health issues receive less attention in climate adaptation policy and planning at the city level.
The authors write that “If health topics are included, they are often described as indirect benefits of adaptation efforts in other sectors and not perceived as the priority of the involved authorities. This effectively means that general and targeted efforts are the responsibility of other sectoral departments, while supportive efforts are the responsibility of the national government or external organizations. As a result, at an urban level, climate-related health system adaptation is not a policy aim in its own right, and many potentially high health risks are being ignored.”
Recommendations provided in the paper:
Focusing on how to cooperatively draft strategies for integrating health issues into climate policy and planning with stakeholders across national and local levels and facilitate joint-up work between society, networks (e.g. C40 and ICLEI), policy sectors, cities and countries
Policy planners can build on the strengths of adaptation documents from other countries or cities and take note of any weaknesses.
Large-scale data collection and sharing of health and climate indicators should be facilitated to support learning and pro-active decision-making.
We advocate to foster co-benefits for health and climate action of various adaptation measures (e.g. by promoting active mobility and urban greenery, health impacts related to heat, (mental and physical stress and air pollution are reduced).
The study was conducted as part of the ENBEL project, also with funding from the CASCADE project that is part of the ENBEL network.