Climate change and public health: turning awareness into action with Kristie L. Ebi

“Initially, climate and health was seen as a marginal issue, with limited funding and engagement,” Ebi said. “The link between the two was poorly understood—even by the academic and medical communities—and often dismissed as an environmental, rather than a health, problem.”

 She noted that roughly thirty years later, the international climate convention, COP28, held in Dubai, drew a record 97,000 attendees, with greater emphasis on climate change and its relationship with health.

 “Engagement with health at COP has been increasing,” Ebi said. “COPs are incredibly complex events. One of the things that institutions do is they have pavilions where they speak to their issues. The last couple of years the World Health Organization has had its own pavilion and is now more engaged across the United Nations, ensuring that health is part of the international climate agenda.”

Ebi described a scene from COP28 where a delegation from the United Arab Emirates pushed to get pledges from other nations and organizations to work on climate change and health. “They came forward with $1 billion in pledges,” she said. “A lot of it was greenwashing and pledges that will not be fulfilled. But it was a change and a key part of the framework of the convention. It will change how we think about and act within the field.”

 Confronted with the tremendous environmental challenges we face today, including a sharp acceleration of catastrophic weather events, mass extinction of species, heat-related illnesses and vector-borne diseases—Ebi is focused on solutions, particularly localized adaptation strategies and the stress-testing of health systems.

Ebi referenced the case of Mozambique, which suffered a massive storm and extensive flooding in 2000. The people faced food and water insecurity—and to the surprise of international observers—threats from landmines that had been washed into neighborhoods from higher elevations. “It’s a powerful example of local communities best understanding the responses they need to make,” she said. “Adaptations require local strategies, informed by a community’s unique challenges.”

To illustrate the importance of stress testing, Ebi described the heat dome that settled over the Pacific Northwest in 2021, where temperatures reached 117°F. “There was an assumption among government officials that they could use the rail system to transport people to heat shelters,” she said. “But the heat made the rails inoperable. So, we need to recognize that there’s a whole basket of consequences that come with climate change. Stress testing,” she continued, “is a way of getting people to realize that the future is going to be different and that we need to approach it in a thoughtful way. If we don’t, we’re going to continue to see these types of events.” 

Some good news, Ebi suggests, is that many local governments and international coalitions are advancing ambitious climate-and-health initiatives. Meanwhile, mayors worldwide have committed to net-zero goals, signaling action at the local level despite national political inertia.

“Go to Yale’s Six Americas Survey,” she said. “Seventy-five percent of the population believes climate change is real and two-thirds believe we should be doing something about it. The rest of them, I like to joke, are in Congress.”

For graduate students interested in the field of climate and health, Ebi sees many opportunities, with areas like heat-related illnesses, dengue and malaria presenting significant research opportunities. She also pointed to increased funding from philanthropic organizations like the Rockefeller Foundation, potentially enabling researchers to explore virtually untouched topics.

“There are enormous opportunities to pursue a research question,” she said. “You don’t have to worry if it’s unique because it probably hasn’t been explored. Start with whatever interests you.” Ebi suggests that greater numbers of government, private and nonprofit organizations are looking for researchers with training in climate and health. “It’s a great time to be coming into the field because it’s changing so quickly.”