Climate Change, Armed Conflict and Global Public Health: A Reinforcing Cycle of Harm

The report examines the 'polycrisis' created by the convergence of climate change and armed conflict, which amplifies threats to global public health and disproportionately affects vulnerable populations. It highlights the role of military emissions and disinformation in exacerbating these crises and calls for integrated climate, health, and peacebuilding strategies.

• Climate change and armed conflict interact and amplify each other to create a 'polycrisis' that threatens global public health. This convergence disproportionately impacts specific vulnerable groups, including refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, women, girls, children, older adults, Indigenous communities, and those in remote or rural areas.
• Military activities contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions, estimated at approximately 5.5%, with levels increasing during active armed conflict. These emissions are largely excluded from international climate accountability mechanisms.
• The circulation of disinformation in a changing digital landscape undermines responses to both crises: in conflict zones, it distorts public perception and erodes trust in humanitarian efforts, while in the context of climate change, it obstructs necessary collective action by exploiting public anxiety.

APA

Walsh, D. (2026). Climate Change, Armed Conflict and Global Public Health: A Reinforcing Cycle of Harm. Global Climate and Health Alliance. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/resources/report/report-climate-change-armed-conflict-and-global-public-health-a-reinforcing-cycle-of-harm/

Chicago

Walsh, Dave. Climate Change, Armed Conflict and Global Public Health: A Reinforcing Cycle of Harm. Global Climate and Health Alliance, 2026. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/resources/report/report-climate-change-armed-conflict-and-global-public-health-a-reinforcing-cycle-of-harm/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Walsh |first1=Dave |title=Climate Change, Armed Conflict and Global Public Health: A Reinforcing Cycle of Harm |publisher=Global Climate and Health Alliance |date=21 July 2026 |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/resources/report/report-climate-change-armed-conflict-and-global-public-health-a-reinforcing-cycle-of-harm/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{walsh2026climate, author = {Walsh, Dave}, title = {{Climate Change, Armed Conflict and Global Public Health: A Reinforcing Cycle of Harm}}, institution = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, year = {2026}, month = jul, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/resources/report/report-climate-change-armed-conflict-and-global-public-health-a-reinforcing-cycle-of-harm/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }