Climate change is the “greatest global health threat facing the world in the 21st Century,” according to a 2022 Lancet report on health and the climate crisis. Yet, little funding is made available to the countries most affected by it to withstand the related health impacts.
The World Health Organization estimates that every year almost 13 million people lose their lives to environmental causes. That is due to direct impacts, such as the 1,739 people who lost their lives due to severe floods in Pakistan in 2022, as well as the indirect impacts of food and water shortages. The Horn of Africa is currently being confronted by an unprecedented number of disease outbreaks and climate-related food crises, with 47 million people facing acute hunger. Meanwhile, insect-borne diseases are expected to affect an additional 4.7 billion people worldwide by 2070 as a result of global warming.
There is an increasing need for donors and development partners to invest in system-based approaches that foster climate-resilient health systems and not wait for a crisis before acting.
About the authors
Ashrafedin Youya
Ashrafedin Youya is senior environmental health expert and assistant director of hygiene and environmental health directorate at Ethiopia’s Federal Ministry of Health. He has more than 17 years worth of experience working in government and NGOS. He worked directly on Ethiopia’s National Health Adaptation Plan. Youya is experienced in coordinating and managing hygiene and environmental health programs at regional and national level, including during emergency situations.
Molu Dima Fayo
Molu Dima Fayo is the deputy head of the Borana Zone Health Office, involved in drought-response from a health perspective at the zonal level. He has 14 years of experience in public health, including as a hospital pharmacist and as a team leader of the Zonal Level Health Office Promotion and Support. He holds a bachelor degree in pharmacy and a master’s degree in public health.
Adriana Parejo Pagador
Adriana Parejo Pagador is an advocacy communications officer at the Dutch development aid organization Cordaid, with expertise in global health, climate, migration, and gender. She has five years of experience working in the development and humanitarian field. She holds a Master of Science in International Development Studies from the University of Amsterdam, as well as a Master of Science in Public Administration of Migration and Diversity from the Erasmus University Rotterdam.
