Advancing climate-informed health systems
Climate change is a growing and urgent health challenge, particularly for populations already facing health and economic disparities. Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) (a set of interoperable digital systems and foundational building blocks that enable the effective delivery of services, promote inclusion, and support governance that benefits the public) is essential for integrating climate and health data, allowing policymakers and health leaders to make informed decisions as they build climate-resilient health systems. By combining satellite data, weather patterns, and health sector insights, we can better predict disease outbreaks, respond to changing health needs, and mitigate the impact of extreme weather events.
Digital Square is partnering with Wellcome, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the World Health Organization (WHO)-World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Joint Programme for Climate and Health to support the development of DPI and digital public goods (DPGs) aimed at enhancing climate- and health-informed data systems. By leveraging cross-sectoral foundational DPI and DPGs, the consortium seeks to advance the operationalization of a shared implementation plan to integrate climate and health data and improve global health resilience to the increasing threats posed by climate change.
We are working at the intersection of climate and digital health in 3 ways:
1. Fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing for integrated data
By adapting and expanding the Global Goods Guidebook to include climate and health use cases, we are helping stakeholders identify, implement, and scale open-source digital health tools that support climate- and health-informed services. The Guidebook is a compendium of Global Goods for Health (a subset of Digital Public Goods), mature and open-source software and services that are adaptable to different countries and contexts. It is a resource for policymakers, procurement officials, and health leaders seeking to reduce climate change’s health and economic impacts at national and regional levels.
2. Supporting the capacity of the WHO-WMO Joint Office on Climate and Health
The WHO-WMO Joint Programme for Climate and Health is a collaborative effort to strengthen, harmonize, and leverage resources and opportunities to empower and support WHO Member States and partners through interagency cooperation. In line with this effort, we support the Joint Programme to foster knowledge sharing for advanced integration of climate health sciences and services for human health related to climate change, extreme weather and climate, water, air quality, solar radiation, and other environmental hazards.
3. Advocating for global investment in DPI for climate health
By addressing the intersection of climate change and health in global fora such as the Brazil G20 Health Working Group, the UN General Assembly (UNGA), and the Global Digital Health Forum (GDHF), we underscore the importance of DPI for Health (DPI-H) in mitigating climate change risks and adapting to its impacts, especially in countries at highest risk of loss and damage. We urge donors and country leaders to prioritize funding for digital climate health solutions and advocate for DPI-focused investments to build robust health systems that respond and adapt to the changing climate.
““Digital tools and technologies will be pivotal game-changers in scaling solutions to climate and health—but we need the collective effort of the global community to make this vision a reality.” ”
