Climate change represents one of the biggest challenges to the long term health of the world’s population.  With rising global temperatures and sea levels, decreased agricultural outputs, and deforestation, climate change impacts the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the land on which we live. These are cornerstones of human health. 

The health effects of climate change are immense. Yet, despite strong evidence that climate change will profoundly affect human health, the mechanisms have received little attention and are poorly understood. The Harvard Global Health Institute is committed to fostering research to better understand how climate change will shape our health in the coming years and decades.  

A cross-disciplinary, multi-dimensional approach is critical. We believe that climate experts and policymakers have not fully elaborated the health effects of this impending threat. Similarly, health experts and policymakers have spent too little time considering how climate change will impact their goals. The co-benefits of climate change mitigation and improved health outcomes are real and research is ongoing. The Harvard Global Health Institute will build bridges as a convener and neutral platform, bringing together resources, people, and expertise across these fields.