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New Global Survey Seeks Insights on Climate and Health.

Jan 23, 2025

Grand Challenges Canada (GCC), in partnership with the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation), the Global Grand Challenges Network, and The Geneva Learning Foundation, has launched a groundbreaking global survey to understand the health impacts of climate change.

Supported by a robust and extensive network of dissemination partners, which includes The Global Innovation Fund, this initiative will prioritise the voices of community health workers, nurses, physicians, researchers, health policymakers, and other health professionals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Their input will offer local perspectives on the urgent and evolving health threats exacerbated by the climate crisis, such as heat-related illnesses, vector- and water-borne diseases, mental health challenges, and malnutrition.

The quantitative data from the survey, along with qualitative insights from a global convening of healthcare workers, will be reviewed by a global panel of climate and health experts convened by Grand Challenges Canada. Together, these findings will shape a ranked list of the most critical climate and health challenges around the world, which will be made available as a public good publication and shared with policymakers, researchers, funders, and community leaders.

The survey findings and expert panel insights will inform the development of a Climate and Health Grand Challenge, ensuring that global funding, research, and policy are strategically directed toward funding innovations that address the most urgent climate-sensitive health needs around the world.

Dr Karlee Silver is CEO of Grand Challenges Canada. 

“We are grateful to the Government of Canada and Arm for supporting this work, and to our dissemination partners for their efforts to share the survey widely,” she says. “This survey will provide valuable insights to shape a Grand Challenge on Climate and Health, to support innovative approaches to address the needs of vulnerable populations and build a healthier, more resilient future for all.”

GIF Investment Director Kathi Hanifnia adds:

"We are delighted to be supporting GCC with this initiative. GIF already has several investments in our portfolio seeking to address the health challenges caused by climate change, and our most recent funding window was dedicated to innovators working to enable the world’s poorest to adapt and be more resilient to change climate. We anticipate that the nexus between health and climate resilience becoming a growing part of our approach." 

You can access and complete the survey by clicking here, before it closes on 4 March 2025. GCC anticipates the results will be launched formally on during Climate Week NYC in September, which takes place every year in partnership with the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).