Human Health and Climate Change

This specialized module introduces the theme of climate change and human health. Human health is directly affected by the weather, climate variability and climate change. The module will explain how mitigation and adaptation policies and measures in health and related sectors can benefit the human health.

Moreover, the module presents tools to assess and integrate health within climate change policies and strategies and vice versa. Several examples of how countries are responding to the health challenges posed by climate change, including taking advantage of the opportunities, are presented.

The module has been developed and peer-reviewed through UN CC:Learn (www.uncclearn.org), with technical leadership provided by the World Health Organization (WHO).

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Target Audience

The module provides clear, concise and up-to-date information for anybody interested in obtaining a general understanding of the health risks arising from climate change and strategies to address them. It should be of particular interest to the following audiences:

Civil servants in national ministries, provincial departments and local authorities working in the health and other sectors relevant to the health dimensions of climate change;
Managers in the private sector and civil society organizations active in the area of climate change and/or health;
Health professionals wishing to improve their understanding of the risks of climate change to health;
Faculty, researchers and students; and
Interested citizens/youth/students.

Learning Objectives

After completing this specialized module, participants will be able to:

Explain how weather, climate variability and climate change can affect human health;
Describe the health benefits of mitigation and adaptation policies and measures in health and related sectors;
Identify a variety of tools to assess and integrate health within climate change policies and strategies, and integrate climate change within health policies and strategies;
Provide examples of how countries are responding to the health challenges posed by climate change, including taking advantage of the opportunities.