Members

The Joint Study Group is composed of 19 technical experts from NMHSs, Regional Bodies and WMO Centres, and experts nominated by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Priority Activities in 2022-23

1. To draft the WHO-WMO Implementation Plan 2023-2033 including clarified and new mechanisms for delivery and implementation of climate science and services for health, with input from regional consultations.
2. To organize regional consultations engaging the WMO Integrated Health Focal Points, and identifying region-specific needs, priorities and opportunities.
3. To publish the Conceptual Framework for Integrated Climate and Health Science and Services.
4. To enhance coordination of extreme heat across WMO to support upscaling of Heat Health Warning System guidance and implementation, including recommendations on next steps for the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN).

Key Achievements in 2022

1. Approved SERCOM-2 Documents: (1) WMO Activities on Extreme Heat and Health, (2) Addressing Infectious Disease Research and Products, (3) Implementation Plan for Advancing Integrated Climate and Health Science and Services 2023-2033
2. Hybrid Meeting held in Geneva in May 2022 advancing the development of the strategic Implementation Plan and specific recommendations on heat, infectious diseases and data interoperability to the WMO Services Commission.
3. Regional Consultations completed for Latin America and Africa engaging the WMO Integrated Health Focal Points, identifying region-specific needs, priorities and opportunities, and encouraging new Focal Point nominations.

In September 2020, the WMO Research Board set up an interdisciplinary and international Task Team to respond to the challenge of providing timely decision support and relevant knowledge on meteorological and air quality (MAQ) factors affecting the sever acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (the virus that causes COVID-19) pandemic.

The WHO/WMO Joint Climate and Health Office provides interagency coordination for strategic and technical activities since 2014. In 2020, the Joint Office was moved from the Global Framework for Climate Services Office, into the Services Department under Applied Climate Services Division, providing a more direct connection to the WMO operational programmes, and strengthened with additional WMO regular budget and human resources.

The Office promotes the coordinated development and use of climate, weather, and environmental services to improve public health. It increases awareness, builds capacity, and connects meteorological services and experts in the health sector as part of an active partnership for climate adaptation and environmental risk management.

The Joint Office serves to:

• advance policy and strategic support for climate services for health;
• support project and research development and implementation;
• strengthen relevant climate services for health partnerships;
• build capacity through awareness raising, outreach and technical guidance.

The Joint office is also responsible for the development and maintenance of this website, Climahealth.info.

90 focal points in 66 countries at National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) and Regional Climate Centres (RCCs) have been nominated to support health sector collaboration. Focal points have assisted in the creation of Climate Service Provider Profiles, which feature national climate products and services relevant for public health on the ClimaHealth.info portal. Nomination of additional Focal Points from all countries will be encouraged.

Focal points at national and regional level are important actors for advancing integrated health information services. The role of focal points is to:

• serve as the entry point of contact for the institution on matters of health, to be shared, as appropriate, with the World Health Organization (WHO) and health partners;
• help identify appropriate national and regional experts with demonstrated experience in research or operational support on health relevant issues, such as research and services for extreme heat and cold, air quality (fire, pollution, sand and dust, allergens), infectious diseases, food security and water resources;
• help identify needs and opportunities to co-design with the health community, products and services to effectively support public health, and strengthening the capacities of health-relevant integrated information service providers and users;
• as appropriate, facilitate coordination and cooperation between the National Meteorological and Hydrological Service (NMHS) or regional entity and the health community and other relevant actors.

The joint leadership and implementation of the proposed mechanisms and actions by both the WMO and the World Health Organization are critical to achieving “better health and wellbeing for people facing existing and emerging extreme weather events, climate change, and environmental risks through the effective integration of climate, environment, and health science and services across the world”.

Four grand challenge areas promote catalytic actions to enhance science and services applications in focus areas of public health importance:

(1) Urban-Climate-Health-Nexus: e.g. will address health risks related to extreme heat, urban heat islands, wildfire, air and water quality, and other urban health risks amplified by climate change and its increasing variability;

(2) Infectious Diseases: e.g. will help predict, monitor, and manage climate sensitive infectious diseases risks;

(3) Climate and Nutrition Nexus: e.g. to understand, develop policies, and actions to protect health and nutrition from food system instability and changes due to climate change;

(4) Climate Resilient and Low Carbon Health Systems: e.g. to support climate resilience of health systems and the health sector Net Zero energy transition.

Foundational support areas propose actions and mechanisms to lead transformational change in climate and health science, services, and policy. These include activities and mechanisms to enhance: Policy and Coordination; Capacity building; Communications; Research; Operational Services; and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning.

The GHHIN Network is working toward five common goals:   

1.  to urgently improve awareness of the disaster that increasing extreme heat pose to human health, wellbeing, and productivity worldwide;
2. to catalyze and sustain interdisciplinary partnerships and co-learning between research and practitioners across relevant government, academic, private sector and civil society actors;
3. to synthesize and advance science and technology available for decision-making and risk reduction across sectors and time scales;
4. to improve access to expert resources and opportunities for learning, exchange, and engagement;
5. to identify and accelerate action to address critical gaps in research, knowledge and practice.

5 Pillars of Integrated Heat Health Action

Our Networks’ pillars support coordinated information and action to reduce the impact of heat on health worldwide.

• Informing decision-making about indoor heat risks to human health – Indoor Heat Project was launched in 2022 to provide decision-makers evidence and guidance to inform multi-sectoral strategies to reduce the health risks of indoor overheating.

• Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS): The Joint Office takes the lead in the implementation of health sector activities under the GFCS to accelerate health sector access to and use of relevant climate, weather and environmental information for health risk management. It supports coordination and collaboration across relevant activities across WHO and WMO.
• Global Air Pollution and Health Technical Advisory Group (GAPH-TAG)
• Clim-HEALTH Africa
• Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH)
• WHO Thematic Platform for Health-EDRM Research Network (TPRN)
• Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) – Air Quality: EU Horizon Project: The WHO and WMO are both participating in the EU Horizon Project “Non-CO2 Forcers and their Climate, Weather, Air Quality and Health Impacts.” Launched in 2022, the project assesses the impact and sources of key radiative forcers to inform the enhancement of Earth System Models and into Regional Climate Models. The tools developed will serve to investigate mitigation and/or adaptation policies incorporated in selected scenarios for Europe and other world regions.
• Urban Cross Cutting Issues: WMO urban work relevant to health include activities of the Integrated Urban Study Group, e.g., the Urban Stakeholder Mapping; the WMO Urban Research Meteorology and Environment (GURME) Project;
  Guidance on Integrated Urban Hydrometeorological, Climate and Environmental Services (2019), Good Practices on High-Resolution Modeling for Integrated Urban Services (2022); and Guidance to Measuring, Modelling and Monitoring the Canopy Layer Urban Heat Island (2022). A WMO Integrated Urban
  Workshop in June 2022 took stock of existing urban activities within WMO and identified coordination opportunities to improve and facilitate Integrated Urban Services.
• SDS-WAS and Health
• Public Weather Services
• Multi Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS)

• Summary for decision-makers to address gaps in climate science and services for health: 2023 State of Climate Services for Health Companion Document

• WHO-WMO Joint Programme of Work: 2019-2022 Highlights Report

• WHO/WMO Climate Services for Health Fundamentals

• WHO/WMO Climate Health Atlas
• WHO/WMO Heat Health Warning Guidance
• Factsheets – Health and ENSO