Drowning and disasters: climate change priorities

The publication highlights the increasing public health impact of disasters related to climate change, with a specific focus on drowning as a significant cause of death during extreme weather events such as floods, cyclones, heatwaves, and droughts. It aims to advocate for greater action on drowning prevention as an essential strategy for climate change adaptation.

Whole of society collaboration and coordination among drowning prevention, disaster risk management, and climate communities are vital to prevent loss of life and other health effects in aquatic events of all scales, including disasters. Data, action, and funding for drowning prevention in emerging and ongoing local, national, and global initiatives related to loss and damage and multihazard early warning systems will be crucial to saving lives in climate-related events.