MENA Hub for Action Research on Climate Change and Health

 

The effects of climate change on human health are wide-ranging, from the 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.

This project seeks to establish a hub that will support research to address critical knowledge gaps at the nexus of climate and health in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region. Countries in the region already suffer from climate impacts that are predicted to intensify over the coming decades. For example, rising sea levels are anticipated to displace up to 6 million people living in Egypt’s coastal regions, while a 30% reduction in the Euphrates River will aggravate water scarcity in the region. This hub will support the generation and uptake of high-quality, gender- and equity-sensitive evidence to strengthen the resilience, preparedness and response of health systems exposed to climate risks in collaboration with affected communities, grassroots organizations and policymakers.

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.