Climate and Health: Connecting Systems for Resilient Futures

​Event Description

Climate change is already reshaping health outcomes, from the spread of infectious diseases to the growing burden on health systems and the disproportionate impacts on vulnerable populations, particularly women and young people. Yet responses often remain fragmented, with climate and health treated as separate domains.

This discussion explores how to better connect climate action and health systems. What does it take to build healthcare systems that are not only reducing their environmental footprint, but are also prepared to support communities in a changing climate?

We will examine the missing “connective tissue” between climate tools and health interventions, including the relationships, governance structures, and shared infrastructure needed to ensure solutions reach the communities most affected. The session will also explore how to move beyond siloed approaches toward more integrated systems that reflect the real-world intersection of climate, health, and infrastructure.

Bringing together practitioners, funders, and policymakers, this conversation will focus on how to build coordinated, resilient systems that can respond to the growing health impacts of climate change.

​Speakers

• ​Ragıp Zık is Co-Director and Head of Operations at the Climate Sensitive Infectious Disease Network, building systems for global, member-led collaboration.

• ​Sam McPherson is a Partner at Itad, working on strategy, evaluation, and learning across international development programs.

• ​Lyndsay Stecher is Director of Partnerships and Development at Health Care Without Harm Europe, advancing collaborations that promote sustainable and climate-resilient healthcare systems.

​Discussion Questions
How is climate change reshaping health outcomes, and where are current systems falling short?
What does it take to build health systems that are both climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable?
What “connective infrastructure” is needed to link climate and health efforts more effectively?
How can we better integrate climate, health, and infrastructure into coordinated, system-level responses?