Toronto, Canada, January 22, 2025 – A newly published comment* in The Lancet Global Health, titled The climate crisis and human health: identifying grand challenges through participatory research, emphasizes the urgent need for innovative, community-driven solutions to address the profound health impacts of the climate crisis.
Authored by a team of experts from Grand Challenges Canada, Science for Africa Foundation, The Geneva Learning Foundation, and the Climate and Health Expert Panel, which Grand Challenges Canada convened, the commentary underscores the critical role of frontline health workers and local communities in shaping global priorities for climate and health.
The Climate Crisis: A Health Crisis
The climate crisis has been called the greatest global health threat of the 21st century. With record-breaking temperatures, extreme weather events, and shifts in disease patterns, the impacts on health are wide-ranging and disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and small-island developing states. These regions, which contribute the least to the crisis, bear the heaviest burdens, including the rise of climate-sensitive conditions such as malnutrition, infectious diseases, and mental health disorders.
A Participatory Approach to Identifying Priorities
The commentary highlights an important global climate and health survey that aims to identify and prioritize climate-sensitive health challenges. This initiative, led by Grand Challenges Canada, Science for Africa Foundation, The Geneva Learning Foundation, and the Global Grand Challenges Network, leverages participatory research to gather insights directly from frontline health workers and local health researchers, innovators, and policymakers.
The survey complemented by qualitative inputs from the Teach to Reach 11 virtual convening of global healthcare workers, will guide the development of a ranked list of grand challenges in climate and health. These findings will inform a new Grand Challenge initiative to drive innovation and resilience in climate-sensitive health systems.
The climate crisis is a health crisis. This survey represents an important first step towards understanding the greatest areas of need, empowering communities, and catalyzing the innovations required to address urgent health challenges.
Health professionals, policymakers, researchers, and community members are invited to participate in the survey, which will be open from January 15, 2025, to March 4, 2025. The results will be disseminated globally as a public good to inform decision-making, inspire additional climate and health financing, catalyze new research initiatives, mobilize action across sectors, and shape policy development to address the urgent health impacts of the climate crisis.
To participate in the survey and contribute to shaping global climate and health priorities, visit: Global Climate and Health Survey (2025)
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Aziz Froutan
Bilingual Manager, Media Relations and Communications
ac.se1737558131gnell1737558131ahcdn1737558131arg@n1737558131atuor1737558131f.ziz1737558131a1737558131
+1(437)-228-3166
Note: Comment pieces are written by experts in the field, and represent their own views, rather than necessarily the views of The Lancet or any Lancet specialty journal. Unlike Articles containing original research, not all Comments are externally peer-reviewed.
About the Partners
- About Grand Challenges Canada:
Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) is dedicated to supporting Bold Ideas with Big Impact®. With support from the Government of Canada and other partners, GCC has invested in more than 1,700 innovations in over 100 countries. Since 2010, GCC-supported innovations have reached more than 80 million people with lifesaving and life-improving initiatives who would not otherwise have had access. Visit grandchallenges.ca to learn more.
- About the Science for Africa Foundation: The Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation) is a pan-African, non-profit, public charitable organisation created to support, strengthen, and promote science and innovation in Africa. https://scienceforafrica.foundation/
- About The Geneva Learning Foundation: The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF) leads a peer learning platform (Teach to Reach) and a large global network of health workers from 137 countries. Together with Grand Challenges Canada, TGLF led the development of the global climate and health survey. Learn more at www.learning.foundation/
