Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters in the Health Sector: Lessons from the IPCC SREX Report

This briefing, published by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network in 2012, synthesises findings from the IPCC SREX report specifically for the health sector. It examines how climate extremes—such as heatwaves, floods, and droughts—interact with human vulnerability and exposure to create disaster risks, and provides a framework for health policy-makers to integrate disaster risk management (DRM) with climate change adaptation (CCA).

• Disaster risk is projected to increase in many countries even without accounting for climate change, primarily because more vulnerable people and assets are being exposed to climate extremes.
• Climate change has already altered the frequency and severity of certain extreme weather events in some global regions based on data since 1950. Specifically, it is virtually certain that warm daily temperature extremes will increase and cold extremes will decrease globally throughout the 21st century, with heatwaves very likely to increase in length, frequency, and/or intensity over most land areas.
• Climate extremes directly and indirectly impact human health. Direct impacts include deaths and injuries from floods or heat stress, while indirect impacts include the spread of infectious diseases like cholera, malnutrition from crop damage, and long-term mental health issues such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
• Climate extremes threaten critical health infrastructure. There is high confidence that climate changes could seriously affect water management systems, impacting sanitation. Additionally, extreme events can cause structural failures in hospitals and health centres or prevent patients from accessing services.
• Health inequalities are exacerbated by climate extremes, as the poor, disenfranchised, and those with pre-existing health conditions have the least capacity to adapt. Vulnerable groups include children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with disabilities.
• Human exposure to hazards is increasing due to population growth and density. For example, the average number of people exposed to tropical cyclones globally increased from approximately 73 million in 1970 to 123 million in 2010, and is projected to increase by 11.6% from 2010 to 2030 from population growth alone.
• Economic losses from weather and climate disasters are increasing. While absolute losses are highest in developed countries, fatality rates and economic losses as a percentage of GDP are higher in developing countries, particularly small island developing states where losses have exceeded 8% of GDP in extreme cases between 1970 and 2010.
• Effective risk management in the health sector requires a shift from incremental changes to transformational changes in institutions and processes. This involves integrating health surveillance and early warning systems into broader development planning and policy-making.
• Successful disaster risk management (DRM) is characterised by the mainstreaming of dynamic risks into policy, the use of clear and enforced regulations (such as International Health Regulations), and the coordination of functions across sectors led by high-level political organisations.

APA

Back, E., Cameron, C., & Norrington-Davies, G. (2012). Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters in the Health Sector: Lessons from the IPCC SREX Report. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/SREX-lessons-for-health-sector.pdf

Chicago

Back, Emma, Catherine Cameron, and Gemma Norrington-Davies. Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters in the Health Sector: Lessons from the IPCC SREX Report. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2012. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/SREX-lessons-for-health-sector.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Back |first1=Emma |last2=Cameron |first2=Catherine |last3=Norrington-Davies |first3=Gemma |title=Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters in the Health Sector: Lessons from the IPCC SREX Report |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=2012 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/SREX-lessons-for-health-sector.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{back2012managing, author = {Back, Emma and Cameron, Catherine and Norrington-Davies, Gemma}, title = {{Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters in the Health Sector: Lessons from the IPCC SREX Report}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2012}, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/SREX-lessons-for-health-sector.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }