Climate change and health: a lens to refocus on the health needs of the poor

Commonwealth Secretariat discussion paper number 4:

This paper addresses adaptation strategies to deal effectively with the anticipated health impacts of climate change. It sets out important factors that need to be considered now, given that this will be an important issue for public health and populations generally in the coming decades. It asserts that adapting to the health impacts of climate change offers the opportunity of bringing improvements in the health of impoverished populations globally, if adaptation policies are designed with their needs in mind. It also argues that if we do not do this now, we risk developing a climate change and health agenda that, by redirecting resources and interest, could jeopardise efforts to improve the health of impoverished populations.