Promoting evidence informed policymaking on the climate and health nexus: Insights into two policy research projects

In recent years, there has been increasing research on and attention for the climate-health nexus. There is no longer a lack of scientific evidence on the impacts of climate change on human health, wellbeing and vice versa. However, the available knowledge is not yet sufficiently applied and integrated into policymaking. To date, health policies remain siloed and simultaneously, health has only played a minor role in climate policy. Yet, there are co-benefits when climate and health policies are being pursued coherently. Incorporating a health perspective into (climate) policy can help to generate support from public and policy-makers for more ambitious climate policies. To shed a light on how climate and health are currently and can be potentially integrated in policy-making, we will present preliminary findings from two research projects focusing on the integration of climate and health policy and governance: (1) preliminary findings from expert interviews with policy-makers in Germany that are conducted as part of a multi-country study generating insights into the national climate and health policy ecosystem in diverse geographies to drive climate action among policy stakeholders, led by the Centre for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University. (2) Preliminary findings from the PHONIC project, a collaboration with the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich as well as the Helmholtz Centre Munich, assessing and prioritizing public health operations to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The project aims to (i) identify and analyse the available evidence by conducting a scoping review; (ii) develop a practical guidance for decision-makers with a set of indicators evaluating transformative leadership and governance by conducting expert consultations; (iii) pilot the developed guidance in Germany and in Kenya for identifying strengths and gaps in the respective system by facilitating stakeholder workshops. Both projects aim to strengthen the knowledge base to develop a climate-health governance structure in Germany.