Indicator 2.6: Climate-resilient health infrastructure Headline Finding: Only 40% (16 out of 40) of responding countries reported implementing activities to increase the climate resilience of their health infrastructure. Functioning health infrastructure is essential during emergencies. Climate-related events, such as severe storms and flooding, may compromise electrical and water supplies, interrupt supply chains, disable transportation links, and disrupt communications and IT networks, contributing to reduced capacity to provide medical care. This indicator measures efforts by countries to increase the climate resilience of health infrastructure. The climate resiliency of health infrastructure reflects the extent to which these systems can prepare for and adapt to changes in climate impacting the system. Data is drawn from the WHO Climate and Health Country Survey (Panel 2.1). Only 40% of countries (16 out of 40) reported having taken measures to increase the climate resilience of their health infrastructure (Figure 2.6). These results suggest widespread vulnerability of health system infrastructure to climate change. For example, only two out of nine responding countries in the African Region report efforts to improve the climate resiliency of health infrastructure. Similar trends were found across other WHO regions. Figure 2.6 Countries taking measures to increase the climate resilience of health infrastructure. This indicator does not capture the quality or effectiveness of efforts to build climate-resilient health system infrastructure. Nonetheless, it highlights the importance of ensuring that countries work to implement climate-resilient health infrastructure, as these findings suggest this is generally lacking. Conclusion This section has presented indicators across a range of areas relevant to health adaptation and resilience. It is clear that the public, and the health systems they depend upon, are ill-prepared to manage the health impacts of climate change. In many cases, the data and methods available provide only a starting-point for an eventual suite of indicators that capture health-specific adaptation, and include both process-and outcome-based indicators. New indicators will also be required to better capture important indicators of resilience. 3. Mitigation Actions and Health Co-Benefits Introduction Sections one and two have covered the health impacts of climate change, the adaptation available and currently being implemented, and the limits to this adaptation.10 This third section presents a series of indicators relevant to the near-term health co-benefits of climate mitigation policies.
Indicator 2.6: Climate-resilient health infrastructure Headline Finding: Only 40% (16 out of 40) of responding countries reported implementing activities to increase the climate resilience of their health infrastructure. Functioning health infrastructure is essential during emergencies. Climate-related events, such as severe storms and flooding, may compromise electrical and water supplies, interrupt supply chains, disable transportation links, and disrupt communications and IT networks, contributing to reduced capacity to provide medical care. This indicator measures efforts by countries to increase the climate resilience of health infrastructure. The climate resiliency of health infrastructure reflects the extent to which these systems can prepare for and adapt to changes in climate impacting the system. Data is drawn from the WHO Climate and Health Country Survey (Panel 2.1). Only 40% of countries (16 out of 40) reported having taken measures to increase the climate resilience of their health infrastructure (Figure 2.6). These results suggest widespread vulnerability of health system infrastructure to climate change. For example, only two out of nine responding countries in the African Region report efforts to improve the climate resiliency of health infrastructure. Similar trends were found across other WHO regions. Figure 2.6 Countries taking measures to increase the climate resilience of health infrastructure. This indicator does not capture the quality or effectiveness of efforts to build climate-resilient health system infrastructure. Nonetheless, it highlights the importance of ensuring that countries work to implement climate-resilient health infrastructure, as these findings suggest this is generally lacking. Conclusion This section has presented indicators across a range of areas relevant to health adaptation and resilience. It is clear that the public, and the health systems they depend upon, are ill-prepared to manage the health impacts of climate change. In many cases, the data and methods available provide only a starting-point for an eventual suite of indicators that capture health-specific adaptation, and include both process-and outcome-based indicators. New indicators will also be required to better capture important indicators of resilience. 3. Mitigation Actions and Health Co-Benefits Introduction Sections one and two have covered the health impacts of climate change, the adaptation available and currently being implemented, and the limits to this adaptation.10 This third section presents a series of indicators relevant to the near-term health co-benefits of climate mitigation policies.