A Call to Action: Building Healthy and Resilient Communities in the Face of Climate

Profiles in Climate Resilience series

The global climate agenda has underestimated the impact of global warming on human health. As a result, insufficient investment has been made in life-saving solutions and climate-resilient healthcare systems for the future. Similarly, our increasing understanding of the climate’s impact on health has not been effectively communicated in a way that could help build broad engagement and accelerate global progress in building climate-resilient communities, sustaining stronger health systems, and maintaining a culture for community members to take responsibility in protecting the environment

Amplify Health and Development in Africa (AHDA) focuses on climate change and health as one of our thematic areas. We concentrate on community-driven solutions to build resilience and foster community engagement against climate-related adversities. We documented the impacts of climate change on people’s health, and our video was successfully used for the launch of the “Profiles in Climate Resilience series” at the second annual Forecasting Healthy Futures Global Summit.  Click the link to view the video. 

The second annual Forecasting Healthy Futures Global Summit offered a critical opportunity to engage global stakeholders and advance the climate and health movement, alongside the COP29 leadership team as they finalized their agenda for this year’s UNFCCC conference in Azerbaijan, June 18-21 2024. The event brought together — in Baku and virtually —a diverse group of more than 270 leaders and experts representing 200 organizations and more than 45 countries, representing governments, the private sector, NGOs, global finance institutions, higher education, UNFCCC, and COP29. 

One profound conclusion that emerged from the summit, “It is time to take the climate and health movement beyond the health sector itself and recognize health for what it is: a cross-cutting rationale for urgent climate action, the connective tissue that binds all sectors as one, and the outcome by which all mitigation and adaptation efforts should be evaluated. “

Climate Change and Health Webinar

Following the unprecedented Climate Change threats across the world with devasting situations being witnessed such as the rise of extreme events like floods, extreme heat, mudflows, and excess rainfalls, among others, that are leading to increased food insecurity and, malnutrition, increased food-borne and vector-borne diseases, heat stress and air pollution, AHDA and Climate Hub Tanzania hosted a one hour webinar on 30^th April 2024 to kickstart discussions among young people and community members on actions we can take towards building climate resilient communities, sustaining stronger health systems and maintaining a culture for community members to take responsibility in protecting the environment and as agents of change in unprecedented moments faced with the storm of climate change.  120 youths from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria, representing diverse professions and institutions, registered for the webinar, with approximately 60 actively participating.

KEY POINTS FROM WEBINAR DISCUSSION.  

• Tanzania, Kenya, and many other countries are currently experiencing extreme weather events attributed to climate change. 

• Climate and health nexus is becoming more apparent as heavy rainfalls not only cause physical damage to infrastructure and loss of life due to flooding but also create breeding grounds for vector-borne diseases like Malaria.

• Such events can also challenge the mental health of those affected, with the most vulnerable groups being young people, children, and women.

• Collaborative efforts between healthcare institutions, public health agencies, and environmental organizations are crucial in developing climate-resilient health systems that prioritize prevention, preparedness, and adaptation.

• It is important to consider the inclusion of the entire community, especially vulnerable groups in climate change initiatives. 

• Youth have the power to drive transformative action to mitigate the impacts of climate change on health in grassroots communities. 

• Climate change learning tools should be included in higher learning institutions and schools’ curriculums to promote awareness and create an equipped future generation for climate change solutions.