WHO is launching the development of a global research agenda to catalyze research that will inform the mutual integration of climate and health action. The Research for Action on Climate Change and Health agenda – REACH 2035 – will establish shared, forward-looking research priorities to meet the evidence needs of policy makers, program implementers, and advocates in protecting against and responding to the health impacts of climate change.
Climate change is one of the defining health challenges of the 21st century. A deep body of evidence underlies the scientific consensus, highlighted prominently in the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report, that human health and well-being are profoundly harmed by climate change. Promoting and protecting health in the face of growing climate impacts is thus a priority for the global health community.
Research on the health impacts of climate change has accelerated over the past decade. Yet, gaps in the evidence and a lack of applied research hinders the knowledge base needed to implement effective solutions – in the health, climate, energy, and other sectors – that can mutually advance climate change and global health goals.
REACH 2035 will serve as a global roadmap for those who lead and fund research: guiding research towards high priority, actionable questions; aligning research with the needs of communities and decision makers; and supporting the translation of evidence into policy and practice at all levels.
