Advancing and Integrating Climate and Health Policies

The report synthesizes 225 interviews with stakeholders to assess how climate and health policies are integrated. It finds that while these policies are currently siloed, there is a strong consensus that integration is necessary to maximize co-benefits and address complex health threats. The document identifies systemic barriers such as funding shortages and institutional silos, while proposing strategies like 'health in all policies' and the use of trusted health professionals as climate advocates.

• Stakeholders across all six studied regions generally perceive that climate and health policies are not well integrated, often existing in separate government silos. However, there is a universal perception that these policies are trending toward greater integration over time.
• There is a strong consensus among participants that integrating climate and health policy is beneficial because it can maximize co-benefits, prevent the duplication of work, and increase overall support for climate initiatives.
• Major barriers to policy integration include resource scarcities—specifically funding, data, and skilled personnel—as well as institutional challenges like bureaucracy and the disruptive impact of changes in government administration.
• Participants identified several high-priority areas for further integration, most notably agriculture, nutrition, and food security; climate adaptation and resilience; emergency preparedness; and housing and urban development.
• Recommended strategies for advancement include adopting 'health in all policies' and 'climate in all policies' frameworks, increasing the use of scientific evidence in policymaking, and utilizing participatory methods such as citizens' councils.
• Effective communication strategies to drive policy change include framing climate change as a health issue, using quantitative data to describe health impacts, and employing health professionals as trusted messengers.
• The report highlights specific successful initiatives, such as Brazil's Basic River Health Units (Unidades Básicas de Saúde Fluviais), Guyana's solar-powered telehealth facilities, and the UK's Greener NHS program.
• In the United States, the report notes that the Trump administration began reversing climate and health progress in January 2025 by disbanding the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE).

APA

Ettinger, J., Fine, J., Gepp, S., Gordon-Strachan, G., Howarth, C., Mulwa, R., Prabhakaran, P., Rayner, T., Saraiva, A., van de Pas, R., Baltruks, D., Ghosh, S., Graham, J., Greaves, N., Jharia, I., Kigundu, K., Maharaj, S., McFarlane, S., Mirow, J., ... Maibach, E. (2025). Advancing and Integrating Climate and Health Policies. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Synthesis-report.pdf

Chicago

Ettinger, J., J. Fine, S. Gepp, G. Gordon-Strachan, C. Howarth, R. Mulwa, P. Prabhakaran, et al. Advancing and Integrating Climate and Health Policies. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2025. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Synthesis-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{ettinger2025advancing, author = {Ettinger, J. and Fine, J. and Gepp, S. and Gordon-Strachan, G. and Howarth, C. and Mulwa, R. and Prabhakaran, P. and Rayner, T. and Saraiva, A. and van de Pas, R. and Baltruks, D. and Ghosh, S. and Graham, J. and Greaves, N. and Jharia, I. and Kigundu, K. and Maharaj, S. and McFarlane, S. and Mirow, J. and Murphy, M. and Musembi, E. and Nyukuri, E. and Raju, B. J. and Sievert, G. and Smith, E. and Vianna, D. and Voss, M. and Zimermann, P. and Miller, J. and Mildenberger, M. and Leiserowitz, A. and Kotcher, J. and Maibach, E.}, title = {{Advancing and Integrating Climate and Health Policies}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2025}, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Synthesis-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }