A Global Review of Research on Effective Advocacy and Communication Strategies at the Intersection of Climate Change and Health

The report reviews global research on the intersection of climate change and health, finding that framing climate change as a public health issue—particularly through the use of trusted health professionals and positive, solutions-oriented messaging—can increase public engagement and support for climate policies across political divides. It notes a significant lack of representative data from the Global South and highlights the need for better integration of climate-health curricula in medical education and stronger engagement from public officials.

• Framing climate change as a public health issue is an effective method for increasing public engagement and generating support for pro-climate policies, especially among individuals who are typically less concerned about climate change, as health is a concern across the political spectrum.
• Positive messaging that focuses on the health benefits of climate solutions (gain framing) is generally more effective than messaging that focuses on health risks (loss framing), although both can be useful. Messages are most effective when they describe climate change as a global-scale issue affecting people currently.
• Health professionals are highly trusted sources of information and are often willing to take on advocacy roles to build public and political will for climate action, though they face barriers such as lack of time, resources, and specialized knowledge.
• Public understanding of the specific health impacts of climate change is generally low, even in regions where there is a general recognition that climate change threatens human health, such as the USA, Canada, and the UK.
• Public officials exhibit varying levels of knowledge regarding climate-related health threats, and in the USA, some local health department directors show polarization regarding regional impacts; many public health officials do not currently view climate change as a departmental priority.
• There is a critical shortage of high-quality, representative research and survey data from the Global South, meaning current findings are considered tentative and primarily reflect perspectives from the Global North.

APA

Uppalapati, S., Ansah, P., Campbell, E., Gour, N., Thier, K., Kotcher, J., & Maibach, E. (2023). A Global Review of Research on Effective Advocacy and Communication Strategies at the Intersection of Climate Change and Health. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/effective-advocacy-communication-intersection-climate-change-and-health/

Chicago

Uppalapati, S., P. Ansah, E. Campbell, N. Gour, K. Thier, J. Kotcher, and E. Maibach. A Global Review of Research on Effective Advocacy and Communication Strategies at the Intersection of Climate Change and Health. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2023. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/effective-advocacy-communication-intersection-climate-change-and-health/.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{uppalapati2023global, author = {Uppalapati, S. and Ansah, P. and Campbell, E. and Gour, N. and Thier, K. and Kotcher, J. and Maibach, E.}, title = {{A Global Review of Research on Effective Advocacy and Communication Strategies at the Intersection of Climate Change and Health}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2023}, month = dec, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/effective-advocacy-communication-intersection-climate-change-and-health/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }