Co-author: Bhawani Maurya
4 minutes read
Climate change has become one of the primary drivers of planetary crisis that we will have to face for years to come. We have also seen climate change lead to health issues due to heat waves, food insecurity, diseases, and drought. The international community realised the urgency of the issue. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) member states adopted the Climate Change and Health Resolution, which reflected the political commitment by stakeholders that acknowledge climate change as a major threat to public health. Furthermore, the resolution also encourages the importance of multi-sectoral cooperation, better awareness, and decarbonization to tackle the root cause of climate change.
As a prominent voice in Asia, AVPN realised the need to bring perspectives from the Asian region to the global stage. As the world’s most disaster-prone region, Asia-Pacific (APAC) faces particularly urgent health threats from climate change. AVPN’s Head of Climate Action Platform, Aravindan Srinivasan brought the Asian views to the World Health Assembly (WHA) side events in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Forecasting Healthy Futures Global Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. In front of over 100 stakeholders and social investors at both events, Aravindan presented AVPN’s research on the climate change and health nexus through the Climate & Health Opportunity Primer: An Investment Opportunity for Social Investors. The Primer, supported by Bayer Foundation, received positive responses from attendees on the vast wealth of insights, strategies, and actionable steps aimed at accelerating transformative solutions, supporting vulnerable communities, and promoting equitable approaches in the climate and health nexus.
World Health Assembly side events in Geneva, Switzerland
At the World Health Assembly (WHA), where each year member states meet to decide on World Health Organizations (WHO) policy agenda and health goals, AVPN co-hosted with the Health Innovation Exchange (HIEx) a series of side events related to climate change and health.
The session highlighted the urgent need for affordable local solutions in climate and health, and a significant financial gap in addressing the climate and health nexus. The speakers noted that while there are many effective climate solutions, such as electric vehicles and methods for reducing carbon footprints, these solutions are often expensive. The Primer indicated that the climate adaptation financing gap for human health in Asia Pacific is estimated at USD 3.52 billion, which is more than six times the existing level of funding.
As an example, Bio Prevail, which aims to deliver a new type of diagnostic lab specifically designed for operation and maintenance in low-resource environments. Due to the vast impact of climate change on everyone, the speakers indicated that immediate interventions are needed from stakeholders to accelerate investments in the climate and health nexus to make solutions affordable for all.
To solve these issues, the speakers agreed that all stakeholders need to speak in understandable terms and collaborate within this nexus with focus on creating affordable climate and health solutions. To circle back on this year’s “All for Health, Health for All” theme, affordable solutions enable all, along with the public and private system, to be more resilient to climate change and its effect on human health.
Forecasting Healthy Futures Global Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan
The discussion continued to the Forecasting Healthy Futures Global Summit in Azerbaijan. The session started by highlighting the significant health risks posed by climate change, such as air pollution, which contributes to burning fossil fuels and leads to premature deaths. Despite the urgency, financing climate and health nexus is still in its infancy in Asia, despite being the world’s most disaster-prone region. While there have been 15 blended finance transactions (amounting to USD 1 billion) in the health sector in APAC, only two transactions (amounting to USD 82 million) intersected with climate adaptation.
This raises an urgent call for policy and actionable interventions as we transition to a clean energy and sustainably resourced economy, as addressing the climate crisis will greatly benefit our health.
The session implored funders to support climate and health solutions by investing in innovation and solutions to climate and health issues, as well as investment in ecosystem building to facilitate knowledge transfer, stimulate collaboration, and create visible positive impacts.
Moving forward together
In front of global stakeholders, AVPN highlighted that investing in solutions for the climate and health crisis is no longer negotiable, especially in the Asia Pacific region. Therefore, it is both crucial to accelerate investments in adaptation responses for health and to integrate adaptation investments into broader initiatives on decarbonising the health value chain.
To support this, AVPN developed a Climate and Health Lighthouse Initiative in collaboration with the India Health Fund, Monash University, and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP). This initiative was launched during the Bayer Foundation’s Social Innovation Days 2024 in Berlin, Germany. The Lighthouse aims to to generate practical solutions and mobilise capital towards climate and health causes across Asia. We welcome social investors to collaborate, support, and take bold actions together to support innovative solutions in Asia.
We believe that governments, the private sector, social investors, funders, non-governmental organisations, and youths need to learn from one another and collaborate to amplify the stories of those impacted by climate change. The time for all stakeholders to take action is now.
