Climate and Health: from research to policy and practice

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Climate and Health from research to policy and
practice
Madeleine C. Thomson, International Research
Institute for Climate and Society
Bamako 17th-19th November 2008
PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre on early warning
systems for malaria and other climate sensitive
diseases
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How does climate impact on health?
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Climate and health two agendas?
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Climate changes on all timescales
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Rainfall in the Sahel 1900-2006 (Giannini
pers. comm)
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Areas and seasons where the seasonal rainfall is
strongly controlled by sea surface temperatures
and therefore potentially predictable
Botswana
Anon, is the climate right, IRI, 2005
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These results used at in SA Regional Epidemic
Malaria Outlook Forum, Harare, 2004-2008
Improving epidemic malaria planning, preparedness
and response in Southern Africa. (DaSilva, et al.
2004) http//www.malariajournal.com/content/3/1/3
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Climate For Development in Africa.
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Creating a Climate Smart health sector
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Key messages

• New Research needed to
• Understand climate and health interactions on
  relevant policy and decision timescales
• Understand the predictability of climate and
  health outcomes on relevant policy and decision
  timescales
• Operationalisation of current research
• Create partnerships between the climate and
  health operational research community
• Create an operational meteorological community
  capable of responding to health/development needs
• Implementation of current operational research
• Create a climate smart health community capable
  of using climate information to improve health
  outcomes today while learning about the potential
  risks for tomorrow.