A strong global community working on climate and health
A worldwide network of experts working together – funders, researchers, changemakers and policymakers. Led by evidence and lived experience to address the health impacts of climate change.
Climate and Health
We’re putting health at the heart of climate action.
We fund global research, develop practical solutions and shape policies to protect people's health from the drivers and impacts of climate change.
Testing soil health in Western Kenya
Credit:
Licence: All Rights ReservedGeorgina Smith, CIAT 2016
The challenge
Research is helping us understand how climate change harms people's health and which solutions can address this growing health crisis. But for research to improve health and save lives, we need to work in partnership globally, combining resources so that evidence drives action.
Our goals
A wealth of global evidence on climate and health solutions
Diverse researchers, working in and with communities, filling gaps in scientific evidence to power climate action.
Evidence-informed action by decision makers on climate and health
Decision-makers and societies engage with climate and health evidence and act on it, making policies and delivering solutions that create a healthier future.
What we focus on
We support science globally to solve climate and health challenges, concentrating on the following strategic priorities.
Extreme heat
Understanding the health impacts of a hotter planet and finding ways to adapt, including protecting pregnant women and outdoor workers.
Super pollutants
Generating evidence on highly harmful pollutants like methane, black carbon and ground-level ozone – for immediate benefits to health and air quality.
Food systems
Supporting a shift towards food systems that are sustainable and able to cope with climate change, to help ensure safe and healthy diets for all.
Climate-sensitive infectious diseases
Building evidence on how climate change is increasing the spread of infectious diseases - while finding ways to predict and manage the impacts.
How we’re doing this
Building a strong global community working on climate and health
We help people understand the links between climate change and health. We support affected communities, researchers, experts and policymakers to work across disciplines, borders and sectors to accelerate global action on the health impacts of climate change.
We're part of a growing global community working on climate and health solutions and we support effective action through partnerships and coalitions. We also work with other global philanthropies, including the Climate and Health Funders Coalition.
Funding research to generate global evidence on climate and health solutions
We fund diverse research that addresses critical scientific and evidence gaps to accelerate action on climate and health. We're investing in new research facilities and partnerships, especially in the locations and communities most affected by climate change.
We work across the world with a focus on the UK, Africa, South East Asia and South Asia. In Africa, for example we are supporting universities and regional experts to establish new science and policy consortiums that will address the escalating public health crisis driven by climate change - saving live and livelihoods.
Enabling climate and health evidence to drive action by decision-makers
Evidence is most likely to improve health when it is relevant, actionable and trusted. We collaborate with stakeholders and communities to build trust and make sure science works in their interests and responds to their needs.
Our influencing work ensures the right people know about the research, recognise its value and take action to improve health and save lives. We work with UN institutions, including the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as governments, non-governmental organisations, businesses and affected communities. The evidence our funding supports is primed to drive innovation, changes to policy and legislation, and economic decisions – turning research into effective, equitable solutions.
Funding opportunities
Our Climate and Health programme supports research that looks at how climate change affects people’s health and what can be done about it.
Our Discovery Research programme funds fields and disciplines seeking new knowledge on life, health and wellbeing, including questions related to climate and health.
Contract opportunities
We invite organisations to work with us on building the health evidence that can shape practical solutions to climate change.
Our work in action
We fund major programmes and initiatives across climate and health. Among these are The Lancet Countdown – an international collaboration that tracks and monitors progress on health and climate change. We also support the Pathfinder Initiative, a global evidence resource showcasing policies and technologies that both mitigate climate change and protect public health at scale.
We have committed £60 million to fund the development of three science and policy consortiums in Africa and committed over £14 million to a global digital platform to link climate and health data.
To date we have invested over £100 million in almost 50 Climate Impacts Awards, funding projects that make the health effects of climate change visible and inspire urgent climate action.
Our Climate and Health impact in numbers
Data since February 2026
£453453 million british poundsmillion
awarded to research through grants to generate the health evidence for policy action that protects health from climate change.
5050 countriescountries
where researchers directly and indirectly received Climate and Health funding.
9th9th Lancet CountdownLancet Countdown
published to monitor the impacts of climate change on health.
Our team
Latest report
