The Climate Crisis is a Health Crisis
Southeast Asian countries are highly vulnerable to climate-related hazards such as droughts, cyclones, sea level rise, floods and landslides, according to a published report1 by the International Development Research Center (IDRC)1. In addition, six (6) countries from Asia namely Myanmar, Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam and Thailand are among the most vulnerable nations in the world according to the Top 10 Global Climate Risk Index2.
Climate-related disasters pose a huge threat to the continuity of service of hospitals. If they are not prepared in terms of infrastructure, operations and procurement, it can translate to service interference at a time when they are highly needed. Thus, becoming climate-smart is a necessity for hospitals and other health facilities in an era of extreme weather events.
More than this, public health is greatly affected by the drastic change in climate conditions. According to a report3 by WHO, climate change is expected to cause 38 000 deaths due to heat exposure in elderly people, 48 000 due to diarrhea, 60 000 due to malaria, and 95 000 due to childhood undernutrition.
Climate and Health Program in Southeast Asia
Health Care Without Harm’s Climate Program works to transform the health care sector, aligning it with the ambition of the Paris Agreement while meeting global health goals through two core areas: Climate Mitigation and Climate Adaptation.
Recognizing that both are needed to build climate-resilience, our goal is for the health sector worldwide to accelerate its path towards decarbonization as a leader in societal transition away from fossil fuels while simultaneously scaling implementation of adaptation actions.
This program works with various healthcare stakeholders in Southeast Asia, HCWH’s international climate team, as well as Health Care Without Harm’s external partners and allies to support the adaptation and/or development of tools and resources for health care climate mitigation and resilience in the region, as well as subnational, national, and regional action plans to integrate health care into climate policy and climate into health policy.
RISE for Southeast Asia
This RISE Southeast Asia Alliance for Health and Climate (RISE) is an initiative of HCWH SEA's Climate and Health Program, aimed to strengthen and mobilize healthcare leadership on climate action and healthy, equitable recovery for the region.
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