PAVE-Health: Pacific Action to enhance the Visibility of Evidence on Health and Climate Impacts
Grantholders
Prof Kathryn Bowen
University of Melbourne
Dr Rebecca Patrick
University of Melbourne
Dr Annabelle Workman
University of Melbourne
Dr Viliamu Iese
University of Melbourne
Mrs 'Ofa Kaisamy
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Mr Fred Patison
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Ms Yvette Kerslake
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Ms Rachel Nunn
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Project summary
The Pacific is a climate change hotspot, facing substantial climate-related threats to physical and mental health. Yet health remains largely invisible in climate-related policies. Fortunately, many Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are already engaged in climate resilient development, including through traditional knowledges and action. There is now an urgency for knowledge of climate-related health impacts to be incorporated into national and international policy. The PAVE-Health intervention will unlock critical resources - financial, human and technical - for PICs to address and make visible current and future climate-related health risks, which is critical to access climate finance. The outcomes of the PAVE-Health project are to: build local capacity to generate evidence on the health impacts of climate change; ensure local evidence is policy-relevant, via conduct or revision of Health Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments (VCAs) that underpin National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and their health-specific components; and enable the use of this knowledge generation, capacity development and engagement to access global climate finance. The project is led by a strong, collaborative, transdisciplinary team at the Pacific Climate Change Centre (Samoa) and University of Melbourne (Australia). Enhancing PIC's access to resources will pave the way for a healthier, more climate-resilient Pacific region.