By Alison Malmqvist, Director, Sexual and Reproductive Health, PSI
As the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) will underscore: our health is intricately linked to the health of our planet.
Climate change has a wide-ranging impact on health, ranging from infectious disease to food insecurity, heat and pollution-related illnesses, and injuries and death caused by extreme weather events. It also disrupts health systems and access to medical services that exacerbate health challenges.
Adapting is key, all with the urgency of now. We explain how, below.
To learn more about PSI’s approach to climate change and/or to partner in scaling this work, email Alison Malmqvist, PSI’s Sexual Reproductive Health Director ([email protected]).
Adapting to
climate change
Across contexts and health areas, the PSI global network is responding to stay
ahead of the challenge and on top of our commitment: delivering quality,
accessible, and affordable care to people – even amidst a changing climate.
There’s no doubt: climate change will significantly impact the distribution and prevalence of malaria – with differing impacts on the parasite, the parasite-carrying a mosquito, and the humans at risk of contracting the disease. While the effects will vary by country and region, we know: adaptations will be needed – across the board.
What have we learned? How are we adapting? We share.
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By segmenting markets to understand what technologies are appropriate for different geographic areas, to working with governments to establish quality standards that protect the water table, and introducing new on-site containment and treatment technologies, PSI builds resilient sanitation markets that mitigate the environmental impact of sanitation and adapt to the challenges posed by climate change now and in the future.
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While self-care can never fully replace the need for in-person support, self-care technologies – including diagnostics, devices, drugs, and digital health solutions – are equipping individuals to self-manage their health during (and beyond) climate-induced crises. In partnership with UNITAID and CIFF, PSI shapes markets for self-care and establishing resilient supply chains, expanding access to healthcare by putting technologies directly in the hands of everyday people.
Our work spans self-testing for HIV, hepatitis C and B, COVID-19, and pregnancy, self-injectable contraceptives, self-sampling for cervical cancer and STI screening, self-managed abortion, among other self-care technologies. We explain here.
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Girls’ agency is a prerequisite for effective action against climate change. Implementers and policymakers, therefore, need a simple framework now to center girls – their voices and experiences – as we collectively adapt to a changing climate. Drawing from learnings from our flagship adolescent contraceptive program A360, we propose focusing both on shifting social norms and building up girls’ internal capabilities to support girls to take ownership of their health and lives—beyond any single, siloed health area.
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Catch PSI
at COP28
Empowering women and girls and building climate resilience: How the biodiversity and reproductive health sectors can achieve greater results for people & planet
DEC. 2 | 16:00 GST | IUCN Pavilion
Stream live on IUCN.org
PSI Presence: Alison Malmqvist, Sexual Reproductive Health Director
Intersectionality in Climate Commitments: Unveiling the nexus between Sexual Reproductive Health, Gender and Climate Change Adaptation.
DEC. 3 | 15:00-16:30 GST | Uganda Pavillion
PSI Presence: Alison Malmqvist, Sexual Reproductive Health Director
An undervalued pathway to climate resilience: Investing in family planning to empower women and girls
DEC. 4 | 18:30 GST | SE Room 5
Stream live on UNFCCC YouTube Channel
PSI Presence: Alison Malmqvist, Sexual Reproductive Health Director
Drafting Green Climate Fund Annex on Sanitation
DEC. 6 | 3:30-5 PM GST | Water Pavilion
PSI Presence: Alison Malmqvist, Sexual Reproductive Health Director
Photo caption: Ko Kyaw Oo, 29, and his wife, Ma War War Lwin, 23, in the paddy fields in Myanmar.