Landscape of Anticipatory Action for Health in a Changing Climate

Climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, food insecurity, and disease outbreaks, placing growing economic and systemic strain on health systems. To address the health impacts of climate change, humanitarians are scaling up the use of  Anticipatory Action (AA), programs that use forecast or warning information to trigger action before the impacts of a disaster.

The humanitarian sector has developed 119 official frameworks for AA in 43 countries. This report reviews all 49 published summaries of these frameworks by the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and United Nations agencies. We also interview 66 people working in AA and health in Bangladesh, Colombia, the Philippines, and Uganda, as well as global actors.

The report identifies two main approaches to AA for health: hazard-driven and disease-driven. Drawing on case studies of AA systems for several common health outcomes, we recommend AA designs to help prioritize scarce resources and improve effectiveness in the increasingly complex environment of climate-aggravated health threats.

The report was produced by researchers based at the Feinstein International Center. The corresponding author is Friedman School Associate Professor Erin Coughlan de Perez.

For over 25 years, the Feinstein International Center has combined local understanding with a planetary vision to address world hunger, humanitarian crises, and their intersection in famine.