GENEVA, Switzerland (CMC) – The Barbados-based Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) says collaboration among regional and international public health and other stakeholders has contributed to improved climate-smart health decision-making in small island developing states (SIDS) in the Caribbean.

CIMH principal Dr David Farrell, speaking on the state of climate services for health within the context of Caribbean SIDS, noted that the Caribbean Health Climatic Bulletin is a quarterly publication co-produced by the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), CIMH and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

He said it is disseminated, particularly to Caribbean health ministries and other health related organizations.

“Experts from these institutions work together to predict the anticipated effects of upcoming seasonal climate conditions on a range of health conditions,” he said, highlighting the commitment of these stakeholders to continue their innovative collaborations with “international research partners to improve the performance of climate influenced health models in an effort to enhance integrated climate-health advisories contained in bulletins in the future.

“This will lead to further improved, climate-smart health decision-making in Caribbean SIDS,” said Dr Farrell as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Tuesday released its annual State of Climate Services report this year that focuses on health.

The report warned, however, that climate change threatens to reverse decades of progress towards better health and well-being, particularly in the most vulnerable communities.

Scientific know-how and resources can help redress the balance, but are not sufficiently accessible or utilised, according to the new multi-agency report.

It highlights the need for tailored climate information and services to support the health sector in the face of more extreme weather and poor air quality, shifting infectious disease patterns and food and water insecurity.

“Practically the whole planet has experienced heatwaves this year. The onset of El Niño in 2023 will greatly increase the likelihood of breaking temperature records further, triggering more extreme heat in many parts of the world and in the ocean – and making the challenge even greater,” says WMO Secretary General Professor Petteri Taalas.

“It is clear that by channelling investment and boosting collaboration, there is huge potential to go further and faster by enhancing the impact of climate science and services so that health partners get the support they need at a time when unprecedented changes to our climate are having an increasing impact,” he added.

The report includes input from more than 30 collaborating partners, including the CIMH, showcasing how integrated climate and health action makes a very real difference to people’s daily life including early warning systems for extreme heat, pollen monitoring to help allergy sufferers and satellite surveillance for climate-sensitive diseases.

Nearly three quarters of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) provide climate data to the health sector, but the uptake is limited. Less than one quarter of ministries of health have a health surveillance system that utilises meteorological information to monitor climate-sensitive health risks.

The number of medium- or large-scale disaster events is projected to reach 560 a year — or 1.5 each day — by 2030.

Countries with limited early warning coverage have disaster mortality that is eight times higher than countries with substantial to comprehensive coverage, according to figures cited in the report that devotes a special section to extreme heat, which causes the greatest mortality of all extreme weather.

The report noteed that climate change is exacerbating risks of food insecurity. In 2012-2021, 29 per cent more global land area was affected by extreme drought for at least one month per year than in 1951-1960.

The compounding impacts of droughts and heatwave days were associated with 98 million additional people reporting moderate to severe food insecurity in 2020 than annually in 1981-2010, in 103 countries analysed, according to figures cited in the report.

The changing climatic conditions are also enhancing the transmission of many climatically sensitive infectious vector-food-and water-borne diseases. For example, dengue is the world’s fastest-spreading vector-borne disease, whilst the length of the malaria transmission season has increased in parts of the world.

The report noted that some of the most significant challenges to health are in the nexus of water, food security and nutrition, the nexus of infectious diseases, and the nexus of extreme weather and air quality, particularly in urban areas.