CC BY-NC 2.0: UN Photo Marco Dormino
Impacts in the Real World
Climate Change is no longer a distant threat, it is already having profound impacts on the lives and livelihoods of communities across Africa and around the world, highlighted most acutely by recent extreme weather events such as record-breaking cyclones in Southern Africa
⁴, and heatwaves in North Africa and the Mediterranean
⁵. These events are not only limited to direct impacts on people, but are also impacting critical systems for health, damaging infrastructure, and upending supply chains. These impacts deepen existing social and health inequalities, particularly in the Global South, where adaptation capacity is often most limited.
Although there is a growing awareness and commitments through national adaptation plans, many countries lack the comprehensive, scalable, and sustainable systems needed to anticipate and respond to climate‑driven health emergencies. Common pitfalls mirror those seen in the response to the COVID pandemic and other public health emergencies. These include a lack of coordinated intersectoral and international action, resource-constrained health and allied departments, and poorly-informed and empowered communities.
Despite some promising progress towards concrete action, exemplified through case studies in the ATACH community ⁶, there is still a dangerous gap between research and policy implementation. This leads to fragmented responses, delayed action, and avoidable loss of life.
With support from their funders and partners, Wits Planetary Health Research (Wits PHR) and ImpactNexus are supporting the development of an integrated public‑health approach to this public health emergency, centred on three pillars: care and support, prevention, and monitoring. We hope to safeguard health today, build climate resilience for tomorrow and prevent Climate Change in the future.