The World Health Organization has called climate change “the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century.” Besides mitigation, adaptation—that is, dealing with existing or forecasted climate effects—is a pressing mandate, say senior partner Hemant Ahlawat and coauthors. Others seem to agree: the Health Innovation Exchange’s Climate Health Innovation Equity Fund’s call for solutions that address climate change sparked more than 80 adaptation-related applications, out of 130-plus received. These submitted innovations included medical products, surveillance and response systems, and healthcare infrastructure, supply chain, and workforce capabilities.
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A series of area tree maps shows the number of Climate Health Innovation Equity Fund (CHIEF) applications for health-related climate adaptation, by region and adaptation type. Africa submitted the highest number of applications, with 59, followed by Asia with 37, North America with 15, Europe with12, Latin America with 5, the Middle East with 3, and Oceania with 2. The most common adaptation type across all regions was climate-resilient healthcare building, equipment, and IT infrastructure, with 33 from Africa, 25 from Asia, 12 from North America, 6 from Europe, and 2 each from Latin America, the Middle East, and Oceania.
Footnote: All digital-health applications.
Source: Health Innovation Exchange.
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To read the article, see “Health-related climate adaptation: How to innovate and scale global action for local needs,” August 20, 2024.