Public Health OperatioNs for clImate change aCtion (PHONIC)

Public Health OperatioNs for clImate Change aCtion (PHONIC) — Development of a framework to identify priority operations

The PHONIC project is supported by the German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA) with funds from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Funding period is from April 2023 until September 2024.

The global impact of the climate crisis has reached unprecedented levels – especially with regard to our health. Vulnerable population groups, such as children, the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions, are particularly at risk. Thus, it is crucial to accelerate actions across all sectors focussing on social and environmental determinants of health and the underlying causes of the climate crisis. Clear and strong political governance in the area of climate change and (public) health is an essential basis for the development of climate-resilient health systems and societies. As the climate crises progresses, it is important to develop appropriate tools for evidence-informed decision-making to help identify strengths and weaknesses in the respective systems.

Project goals

The PHONIC (Public Health OperatioNs for clImate aCtion) project aims to develop a practical guide for identifying priority public health operations for climate action. The focus of the project is on the development and piloting of indicators assessing climate change and (public) health governance structures in Germany and Kenya.

Methodology

In order to achieve the goal of the PHONIC project, the following methodological approaches were chosen:

Nominating an international expert group to provide regular advice on project-related research activities.
Conducting a scoping review to identify existing public health operations addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Developing a tool with tangible indicators to assess governance structures in the area of climate change and health on the basis of existing WHO indicator set on “Climate-transformative leadership & governance” (to be found here, p. 21–23).
Identifying existing international “good” practice examples for governance in the area of climate change and health.
Piloting the developed tool with tangible indicators in Germany and Kenya by conducting expert workshops.

Further information and materials

Operational framework for building climate resilient and low carbon health systems. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. (WHO Indikatorenset)