Support government strategies and initiatives. Some governments are developing specific Health National Action Plans as part of their reporting under the Cancun Adaptation Framework (e.g. here is Ethiopia’s). There is also work being done to encourage countries to mainstream health into Nationally Determined Contributions which report on their plans for mitigation and adaptation - the Global Climate and Health Alliance’s Healthy NDC Scorecard is a useful resource on this. Companies can use these to identify where their resources and expertise is best able to support national initiatives. The approach to work with the grain of government action was very successfully put into practice by Kenya’s National Business Compact on Coronavirus, and similar approaches could be used for health equity and climate.
There are already lots of reasons for why businesses need to focus on climate change:
Remember that climate matters to businesses for number of reasons:
Regulation requires it
Cost of carbon taxes and cap and trade
Avoid losing market share
-Huge innovation opportunities
-Drive efficiencies
-Consumer and employee pressure
-Doing the right thing
They also need to think about health for a number of reasons:
-Worker recruitment, retention and reduction of sick days
-Business opportunities and growing market share
Consumer and employee reputation
The challenge is now for businesses to bring health and climate considerations together:
E.g.
How do they model the impact of climate change on worker sick days, productivity across their business and supply chains
How do they model changes in disease prevalence and climate impacts on their supply chains
What opportunities does health adaptation solutions provide to business
How do businesses supplying health systems need to adapt to help healthcare decarbonise
For each there is a question of how existing climate health data (e.g. from Lancet Countdown) be used to model these impacts and to then build business cases for action- and to include in financial disclosures
Individual actions can also make a difference. By making small changes in our daily lives, such as reducing our energy consumption, choosing sustainable products, and supporting local businesses, we can contribute to a more positive impact on health equity and climate change.
Also - taking a One-Health approach helps to connect the dots between different sectors that all have an impact on environmental, plant, animal and human health and leveraging synergistic actions and co-benefits.
ESG Guidelines provide a clear pathway to measure our impacts to the environment some of which actually influences climate change. It also has a component of the undertakings that a company is doing towards addressing the causes of climate change and global warming.
Additionally, encouraging businesses to do a Life Cycle Analysis of their processes and materials is crucial in getting data on the amount of carbon equivalent that results from the process.
There should be collaboration among scientists, architects, engineers, health care providers, and development professionals to encourage creative, low-cost, and scalable interventions that improve health and climate outcomes simultaneously. This should also be done through public-private partnerships and multilateral institutions to reach the SDGs.
I have not done a deep dive into it, but I am curious if anyone knows how businesses responded to Colombia has reduced its carbon emissions by around 40%. They shattered the 30% reduction by 2030 and set even higher targets. They also reached 30% protection of the ocean in a country that relies on tourism and scuba diving. I’d be interested in understanding businesses participation and response to this, and how it has affected the health of those around the coastline.
Answering part (b) of question 3
I think we need to collaborate internationally, regionally, and locally because climate change is an international problem with health effects cascading down to local levels. Much focus should be put on grassroots communities, especially the most affected people and areas. Collaboration should be between governments, businesses, and communities.
Addressing health equity and climate change is critical for the long-term development of businesses in developing countries, and collaboration across countries and industries is essential. Businesses can make a significant contribution to these global challenges by implementing policies and strategies that assist developing countries in adopting sustainable practices, investing in healthcare infrastructure, promoting healthy lifestyles, building partnerships, and embracing innovation. Businesses can also work with nonprofit organizations, governments, and other stakeholders to address health equity and climate change issues. This can aid in the leveraging of resources and expertise to achieve a greater impact.
Thanks Robert- I think there is a real opportunity to bring together the environmental (E) and social (including Health) elements of ESG in business planning
That is to true, if everybody thought that way it would be even more impactful than a large business! To add to your point, that is a mind set that more influential people should be encouraged to adopt. Celebrities and influencers, for instance, send a shockwave of trends through the globe and access audiences that may not concern themselves with pressing matters due to factors such as privilege.
Great points. On data - both policy makers and companies need more granular data so that we can develop evidence-based strategies to respond to health impacts of climate change particularly on vulnerable populations. E.g. policymakers and academics are mapping the likely prevalence of disease in different regions (see link on Malaria risk in Senegal below). There is also a need to put early warning systems in place that are able to predict rather than respond to outbreaks of disease or drought by using predictive models and on-the-ground microdata collected via mobile phone technology to complement high-level data from e.g. satellite technology. Companies can partner with research and public organisations to contribute technology and expertise as well as help gather local data via e.g. mobile technology platforms.
Study on Malaria: TropicalMed | Free Full-Text | Malaria in Senegal: Recent and Future Changes Based on Bias-Corrected CMIP6 Simulations
We really need to collaborate locally, understanding the specific needs of every country. Because the consequences of climate change will be different in every zone. At a certain level we can’t use the same strategy for the whole world
Hi everyone, I am a freelance consultant working in the PPP space in a programme that I co-designed for Symrise together with GIZ and a range of private sector partners and NGO/CSO implementation partners.
For me Health Equity starts with understanding the contribution that good health makes to driving Living Incomes and how the deprivation of income from health crises can often tip smallholder farming families into a poverty trap. That can often lead to negative coping behaviours, including for example deforestation and/or child labour issues.
The programme in which Symrise, Unilever, GIZ and Save the Children work together in Madagascar provides vanilla farming families with access to healthcare through a funded health assurance mutual, Mahavelona.
It works through providing free access to surgery for critical injuries and incidents (including caesareans in childbirth) and supports 80% of medicine costs - the impact it has on Living Incomes is huge and the positive impact in terms of promoting GAPs that do NOT harm the environment is critical.
The ILO published a report indicating “An increase in heat stress resulting from global warming is projected to lead to global productivity losses equivalent to 80 million full-time jobs in the year 2030, according to a new report from the International Labour Organization (ILO).”
I totally agree. On the influencers point, I would add that we should pay great attention to what kind of influencers will raise awareness of it. Because sometimes they don’t have enough scientific background and knowledge to influence that effectively. It could harm more than do good.
ESG is another topic that is mandated by the International Organization but is still poorly understood or implemented in the majority of developing countries. It’s a great idea, I understand it, but it would take a long time to implement.
Perhaps an equitable approach to data would need to be considered too - analysing higher-risk communities and lower-risk communities separately rather than under an umbrella source?