Latin America and Caribbean Hub for Climate Change and Health

 

The effects of climate change on human health are wide-ranging — from direct impacts of extreme weather such as floods and heatwaves to indirect impacts such as new and re-emerging diseases and mental stress. These impacts will place additional pressure on health systems in lower-income countries, especially on the health workforce, which is ill-prepared to respond effectively to climate-induced health risks. Additionally, the significant health co-benefits from climate action need to be demonstrated more widely and integrated into climate action policies and programs to maximize health outcomes.

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), altered climate conditions contribute to a rise in food- and water-borne illnesses, and chronic, mental and vector-borne diseases like malaria, zika, rickettsiosis and dengue fever. The majority of these effects will be felt by those least equipped to respond, and those marginalized within LAC countries, including women and Indigenous peoples and other equity-seeking groups. To address these risks, the Latin America and Caribbean Hub for Climate Change and Health will support the generation of new and actionable knowledge that will shape equity-responsive policy and foster community involvement in addressing the intricate intersections between climate change and health.

This project is part of the Advancing Research for Climate and Health (ARCH) initiative, a five-year partnership between the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and IDRC to address critical knowledge gaps at the intersection of climate change and health. ARCH will support five regional hubs on climate change and health, which will establish, manage and support a cohort of sub-grantee-led research projects in their respective regions.