Climate-Health Leading by Example Action Report (CHLEAR ... - Department of State

Climate-Health Leading by Example Action Report (CHLEAR) - United States Department of State

Climate-Health Leading by Example Action Report (CHLEAR)

Amid a year of heat waves, wildfires, floods, and disease outbreaks, the call to action at the nexus of climate, environment, and human health is clearer than ever. Alongside interagency partners, as well as international and civil society partners, the U.S. Department of State is responding to that call.

Three Key Goals the Department is Pursuing

Minimizing Health Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions Protecting Public Health & Health Care Delivery from Climate Impacts Aligning Resources Towards Climate-Health Action

From Goals to Action: Highlights of Our Global Efforts

- PEPFAR Purchasing: Leveraging HIV/AIDS procurement via PEPFAR to source medical supplies locally and regionally, shortening supply chains and driving down emissions.
- Reaching the Last Mile: Supporting 170,000 community health workers (U.S. fiscal year 2022 data) for HIV/AIDS response around the world; these workers are contending with the climate crisis as they work to deliver lifesaving HIV/AIDS care to their patients.
- Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils: Increasing investments in nutritious and climate-resilient crops and improving soil health, with over $100 million already obligated to support partnerships and projects in 2023.
- Water Cooperation: Supporting technical cooperation for water systems that deliver for public health and climate resilience amid flooding and drought, including in recently impacted countries.
- Air Quality Program: Improving air quality monitoring and awareness by expanding available tools for measuring key pollutants.
- Belmont Forum and beyond: Increasing uptake of climate-environment-health funding opportunities among historically under-represented communities, including a $16 million Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Action to support researchers in 120 eligible countries worldwide.
- Exchange programs: Leveraging the Department’s bilateral exchange programs, including the Science Envoy Program, the Fulbright Program, and the International Visitor Leadership Program, to cultivate a new generation of climate-health thinkers and leaders.

From Goals to Action: Regional Highlights

- Early Warning: Building a first-of-its-kind, climate-based, dengue early warning system in the Pacific Islands, with work currently underway in the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau.
- Research, Mentoring, & Practice: Investing in innovative approaches to climate-environment-health research and practice in Southeast Asia, including through the Mekong One Health Innovation Program.
- Information Sharing: Improving information sharing for climate-sensitive disease early warning in South Asia and Central America, including through the South Asia Regional Dengue Strategy Forum and the AmeriGeo program, respectively.
- Workshops and Exchange Programs: Increasing climate-environment-health opportunities with targeted outreach across Africa and Southeast Asia in conjunction with key regional bodies such as the Africa CDC and ASEAN.
- Communities of Practice: Working in South America via the South American One Health Network (SANO) and the Arctic via the One Arctic, One Health network to bolster collaboration, and support Indigenous knowledge holders. These networks foster cooperation on key research and operational challenges related to zoonoses, climate-sensitive diseases, pollution, and natural disasters.

Four examples of DOS-supported actions:
meeting in Honolulu air quality expert in Alaska with Norwegian colleagues meeting in Bangkok

By the Numbers

92

countries

DOS activities in 2023 included participants hailing from 92 countries, demonstrating the global reach of these issues and the scale of action already underway to address climate-environment-health.

3,000

people

DOS activities engaged 3000 people from international organizations, regional bodies, national governments, subnational governments, Indigenous peoples, and civil society.

Source: DOS Office of the Geographer