Global Leaders Should Listen To Health Workers Facing Climate Change, Says The Geneva Learning Foundation

From exacerbating disease epidemics to reshaping mental health aspects and disrupting health infrastructure, the impacts of climate change are multifaceted. Given this context, the resilience of health systems, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), faces unprecedented challenges as climate change casts an ominous shadow over global health. Frontline health workers stand at the heart of this landscape. The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF), a Swiss non-profit dedicated to pioneering change strategies, has made it its mission to empower these unsung heroes by amplifying their voices.

TGLF's journey began when thousands of health workers participating in its programs shared their concern that climate change is damaging the health of communities. The World Health Organization echoes this sentiment: Climate change poses an unprecedented challenge to health systems worldwide. Local health workers are the first to observe the health consequences of climate change. They can also be the first to respond to limit the damage if they are supported by the global community.

The non-profit organization developed a digital platform fostering peer learning among health practitioners from the Global South. By bringing together over 4,700 government workers, health specialists and frontline health workers from 68 countries, TGLF orchestrated an inaugural dialogue in July 2023 that emphasizes the immediate and tangible impacts of climate change on health in local communities.

"Climate change is having a detrimental impact on the health of our community," says Kouakou N'Guessan Antoine, who works in the Yaokro rural health center in Côte d'Ivoire. He is especially concerned by the vulnerability of young children to extreme heat. His concern echoes that of more than 5,000 fellow health practitioners from 68 countries who responded within days of the first call to action.

Observations shared by health workers on the frontline of climate change brought to light various challenges. Almost 95% recognized the strong link between climate change and health, rating their confidence at an average of 4.1 out of 5. Among 1,260 submitted experiences, 20 significant impacts were identified, with disruptions in farming (49.2%), disease-carrying insects (47.6%) and urban heat (46%) ranking highest. Health-wise, malnutrition (59.3%), water-borne diseases (59.2%) and shifts in vector-borne diseases (51.1%) were the most reported. Vulnerability also emerged as a common thread, as the most vulnerable — children, pregnant women, the elderly and those marginalized by poverty — bear the brunt of the harshest consequences of climate change. For many participating, sharing experiences triggered the realization that these problems are indeed global.

With this, local solutions are highly needed, and as the trusted advisors of the communities they serve, health workers play a pivotal role in problem-solving. For instance, the demand for efficient and affordable public health measures, like immunization, will continue to increase. Health care professionals (70% of whom are women) who deliver immunization and other health care services need to be supported if they are to maintain trust as communities navigate climate change. This support is vital to the future of health systems.

Health workers have had to be proactive — by necessity, not choice — in combating climate-related health impacts at the local level. However, a global problem requires each local actor to be connected to others. TGLF's platform can be a catalyst to connect those best positioned to lead change. This does require an investment, as well as the willingness of global partners to reconsider certain assumptions that underpin global health. But this investment could have an outsized return.

During COP28, Reda Sadki, president of The Geneva Learning Foundation, engaged key partners to make a commensurate investment in locally-led change, alongside the massive global investments being made in technology, policy and science. "Through the Geneva Learning Foundation's work, we have come to understand that health workers are not just observers of the impacts of climate change. They are the ones who can address them, side-by-side with communities," Sadki remarked.

The foundation's goal is to rapidly scale from 60,000 to 1 million health workers connected, learning from each other and taking action with communities. This is why the Geneva Learning Foundation calls upon COP28 leaders from government, corporations and civil society to recognize that health workers are key to a successful global response. Increasing financial support for local action is indispensable but, on its own, insufficient. Political will and courage are equally important ingredients.