Healthcare in a Changing Climate 2025

Another example is Burjeel Holdings, which has launched the Center for Climate and Health112 to introduce advanced screening for climate-sensitive triggers, such as air pollution and extreme heat. Data collections can help clarify links between climate-driven environmental changes and patient symptoms to develop better clinician guidelines and life sciences innovations; they can also highlight the scale and gravity of the impact of climate on health to increase public awareness. Lack of cross-sector collaboration The lack of collaboration among scientists working in life sciences, environment and climate makes it difficult to coordinate research efforts and drive holistic climate-health innovations. Operating in silos leads to missed opportunities for developing holistic solutions that address both health and environmental challenges. By fostering partnerships between these sectors, the life sciences industry can pool its scientific expertise113 with environmental insights to create solutions that address the interconnected issues of climate change and health outcomes. Cross-sector collaboration would also bring together different perspectives, encouraging innovations that can address systemic issues, such as environmental influence on disease patterns. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recently developed a guide114 for collaboration on climate and health that supports health department staff in conducting cross-sector outreach for climate adaptation planning. This is a promising initiative, but additional efforts are required globally to support lasting outcomes.Cultural resistance Like most organizational transitions, many life sciences innovators face challenges in securing the buy-in to shift to a more climate-centric agenda and line-up of products and services. To overcome this roadblock, leadership commitment is crucial. Senior leaders in companies115 across the life sciences industry have made commitments to climate mitigation efforts, such as net zero emissions, but commitments to climate adaptation are not yet common. A more widespread and targeted commitment to adaptation would enable a cultural transformation, where climate-health is not seen as diverting resources from core business, but as an essential new frontier with long-term growth opportunities. Low public awareness Climate change’s impact on health is becoming more understood, but public and political awareness remains relatively low, weakening advocacy efforts and delaying policy change. However, public campaigns and media engagement could help to address this. Life sciences innovators are in a position to drive public awareness, particularly with the increasing focus on climate-related financial disclosures116 and pressure117 for companies to engage in good corporate citizenship programmes.118 Regulatory bodies can also play a significant role in promoting awareness. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how rising death rates fuelled public demand for vaccines and other health interventions. A similar dynamic could arise if hospitals or governments were required to disclose climate-related health impacts, such as mortality from extreme heat or asthma exacerbations. Finally, investors can also play a role by supporting media campaigns and public initiatives that highlight the critical connection between climate and health. With better predictive tools, companies can design more effective solutions that address both emerging health risks and longer- term public health impacts. Lack of collaboration among scientists working in life sciences, environment and climate makes it difficult to coordinate research efforts and drive holistic climate-health innovations. Healthcare in a Changing Climate: Investing in Resilient Solutions 27