Climate crises and their impact on essential public health functions: The potential role of Simulation Exercises
1
Botswana UPenn Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A366
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Half the global population is vulnerable to the effects of climate change. [1] In 2024, WHO declared climate crisis a public health emergency communicating the urgency to prioritize interventions to safeguard public health.[2] Simulation exercises (SimEx) can prepare health systems for climate crises.[3] We evaluated the impact of past climate crises on health systems to help develop SimEx scenarios for emergency preparedness.
METHODS:
A scoping review was done to identify how climate change catalyzes improvement/innovation or directly/indirectly damages any of the 12 essential public health functions (EPHF).[4] Climate crises (hazards) were categorized using the UNDRR hazard definition and classification. [5] Study findings were stratified by WHO regions.[6]
RESULTS:
Thirty articles from the WHO WPRO (n=7),[7-13] AMRO (n=7),[14-20] EURO (n=5),[21-25] EMRO (n=3),[26-28] and AFRO (n=1)[29] regions and 4 multiregional articles from LMIC,[30] Europe, USA and Africa,[31] Kenya, India & Ghana [32] and one unspecified location [33]documenting 6, 19 and 30 hazards in 2012-2015, 2016-2020 and 2021 to 2024, respectively. Commonest hazards were heatwaves/extreme heat (n=14), floods (n=13), bushes/wildfires (n=5), drought (n=4), encephalitis virus/dengue (n=2), rain variability/rainfall (n=2), food insecurity(n=1). Heat waves were reported in WHO EURO (n=5),[21-25] WHO WPRO (n= 3),[7, 8, 12] WHO EMRO (n=2),[26, 28] WHO AMRO (n=1)[20] and WHO AFRO (n= 1)[29] regions and in 2 multiregional articles. [31, 33] Floods were reported in WHO WPRO (n= 4),[8, 9, 11, 13] WHO AMRO (n= 4 ),[15, 17, 18, 20] and WHO AFRO (n=1) [29]regions and 4 multiregional articles.[18, 31, 32, 34] Climate crises had positive and negative impacts on all EPHF (excluding products and technologies) in 1-12 articles and 0-4 articles, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS:
Climate crises, which disproportionately affect the global south, present an opportunity to enhance and sustain EPHF for effective emergency management. SimEx could help prevent or mitigate the negative impacts of future climate crises.
Half the global population is vulnerable to the effects of climate change. [1] In 2024, WHO declared climate crisis a public health emergency communicating the urgency to prioritize interventions to safeguard public health.[2] Simulation exercises (SimEx) can prepare health systems for climate crises.[3] We evaluated the impact of past climate crises on health systems to help develop SimEx scenarios for emergency preparedness.
METHODS:
A scoping review was done to identify how climate change catalyzes improvement/innovation or directly/indirectly damages any of the 12 essential public health functions (EPHF).[4] Climate crises (hazards) were categorized using the UNDRR hazard definition and classification. [5] Study findings were stratified by WHO regions.[6]
RESULTS:
Thirty articles from the WHO WPRO (n=7),[7-13] AMRO (n=7),[14-20] EURO (n=5),[21-25] EMRO (n=3),[26-28] and AFRO (n=1)[29] regions and 4 multiregional articles from LMIC,[30] Europe, USA and Africa,[31] Kenya, India & Ghana [32] and one unspecified location [33]documenting 6, 19 and 30 hazards in 2012-2015, 2016-2020 and 2021 to 2024, respectively. Commonest hazards were heatwaves/extreme heat (n=14), floods (n=13), bushes/wildfires (n=5), drought (n=4), encephalitis virus/dengue (n=2), rain variability/rainfall (n=2), food insecurity(n=1). Heat waves were reported in WHO EURO (n=5),[21-25] WHO WPRO (n= 3),[7, 8, 12] WHO EMRO (n=2),[26, 28] WHO AMRO (n=1)[20] and WHO AFRO (n= 1)[29] regions and in 2 multiregional articles. [31, 33] Floods were reported in WHO WPRO (n= 4),[8, 9, 11, 13] WHO AMRO (n= 4 ),[15, 17, 18, 20] and WHO AFRO (n=1) [29]regions and 4 multiregional articles.[18, 31, 32, 34] Climate crises had positive and negative impacts on all EPHF (excluding products and technologies) in 1-12 articles and 0-4 articles, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS:
Climate crises, which disproportionately affect the global south, present an opportunity to enhance and sustain EPHF for effective emergency management. SimEx could help prevent or mitigate the negative impacts of future climate crises.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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