Approach
We work to produce comprehensive, scientifically rigorous, policy-relevant evidence which takes stock of the health threats of climate change, and the health opportunities of climate action.
Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change
The Lancet Countdown publishes annual updates of some 50 indicators developed by our experts across five key areas:
- The health hazards, exposures and impacts of climate change
- Adaptation, planning and resilience for health
- Mitigation actions and their health co-benefits
- Economic and financial aspects of the interaction between climate change and health
- Public and political engagement with health and climate change
To track progress on these five key areas we draw on almost 300 world-class experts from a range of disciplines, including health and epidemiology, climate science, engineering, agriculture, transports, economy, and social and political sciences.
Our Indicators
We publish annual updates of some 50 scientific indicators to track the multiple and evolving connections between public health and climate change.
Our five working groups
Health hazards, exposures and impacts
A changing climate has profound implications for human health, with more frequent heat waves and extreme weather events, changing patterns of infectious disease transmission, deterioration of food and water resources, impacts on socioeconomic conditions, and the exacerbation of existing health challenges around the world.
Meet the experts
Our five working groups
Adaptation, Planning, and Resilience for Health
Actions to build resilience and adapt to climate change are urgently needed to protect health and wellbeing. This section tracks how communities, health systems, and governments are understanding the health risks of climate change, the strategies and resources they are deploying, and how adaptation and resilience measures are being implemented globally.
Meet the expertsOur five working groups
Mitigation actions and health co-benefits
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential to limit the health threats of climate change. Simultaneously, many of the interventions required to mitigate and adapt bring enormous benefits for human health and wellbeing, through cleaner air, healthier diets, and more liveable cities. Indicators in this section track the world’s efforts to mitigate climate change, and the health benefits of this response.
Meet the expertsOur five working groups
Economics and Finance
The health impacts of climate change have profound economic implications. This section tracks the economic costs of the health impacts of climate change and its drivers, as well as the extent to which the world’s economy and financial systems are enabling the transition to a health-promoting, zero-carbon economy.
Meet the expertsOur five working groups
Public and Political Engagement in Health and Climate Change
Public and political engagement underpin the foundations of the world’s collective response to climate change. This working group tracks key actors’ engagement with the links between health and climate change, including in the media, national governments, the corporate sector, and the broader public.
Meet the experts
