Mitigating the impact of climate change on public health

Climate change is often discussed in terms of stronger typhoons, rising seas, and record-breaking temperatures. Yet one of its most profound consequences is less visible: its growing impact on human health. Every heatwave, flood, and extreme weather event leaves behind more than damaged homes and disrupted livelihoods. They also contribute to the spread of infectious diseases, worsen chronic illnesses, increase mental health challenges, and place mounting pressure on already overstretched health systems.

Rising temperatures, heavier rainfall, prolonged droughts, and more frequent flooding create conditions that fuel the spread of vector- and water-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, cholera, typhoid, and leptospirosis. Vulnerable communities face heightened risks of malnutrition, heat-related illnesses, respiratory conditions, infectious diseases, and mental health disorders. Climate-related disasters also strain healthcare infrastructure, disrupt medicine supply chains, displace health workers, and undermine the delivery of Universal Health Care (UHC), particularly in areas where healthcare resources are already limited.

Low- and middle-income countries like the Philippines are among those bearing the greatest burden. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that countries with weaker health systems are the least equipped to prepare for and respond to the health impacts of climate change without sustained support. For nations already confronting resource constraints, the convergence of climate and health crises threatens to reverse decades of progress in public health, economic development, and poverty reduction.

Recognizing these growing challenges, the Philippine government has taken important steps to integrate climate action into the country’s health agenda. In January 2025, the Department of Health (DoH) formally established the Health and Climate Change Office (HCCO), making the Philippines one of the few countries in Asia with a dedicated office focused on the intersection of climate and health. The HCCO is tasked with coordinating climate-related health programs, resilience planning, and policy integration across DoH units, local government units (LGUs), and the Climate Change Commission (CCC), reflecting a whole-of-government approach to addressing climate-related health risks.

The DoH and the CCC have likewise strengthened their collaboration in developing policies, implementing adaptation initiatives, and promoting public awareness. These efforts complement broader national priorities under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, the Universal Health Care Act, and the country’s first National Adaptation Plan (NAP), which identifies health as one of its priority sectors for climate resilience.

Drafted jointly by the CCC and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the NAP seeks to reduce the country’s vulnerability to climate change by strengthening adaptive capacity and integrating climate resilience into national and local policies, programs, and investments. By recognizing health as a central component of climate adaptation, the plan underscores that protecting people must remain at the heart of the country’s climate response.

Building climate-resilient health systems is equally critical. Hospitals, rural health units, and other healthcare facilities must be able to continue delivering essential services even during extreme weather events. Investments in resilient infrastructure, reliable electricity and water systems, emergency communications, uninterrupted medicine supply chains, and vaccine cold storage help ensure that healthcare services remain accessible when communities need them most. Beyond protecting patients and healthcare workers, these investments also improve long-term operational efficiency and support more environmentally sustainable healthcare delivery.

Public awareness is another essential pillar of climate resilience. Empowering Filipinos with knowledge about the health effects of climate change encourages healthier and more climate-resilient behaviors while strengthening support for sustainable public policies. Communities that understand the risks posed by extreme heat, poor air quality, flooding, unsafe water, and food insecurity are better prepared to protect themselves and respond during emergencies.

Climate change also reinforces the importance of the One Health approach, which recognizes that the health of people is closely interconnected with the health of animals and the environment. Strengthening surveillance across these sectors enables earlier detection of emerging infectious diseases and improves preparedness for future public health threats.

Robust disease surveillance remains one of the country’s strongest defenses against climate-sensitive diseases. The HCCO is strengthening monitoring systems for vector- and water-borne diseases while establishing a national database to track heat-related illnesses and respiratory conditions associated with rising temperatures. Using near real-time data allows health authorities to detect outbreaks earlier, identify diseases spreading into new geographic areas or seasons, and respond before they escalate into larger public health emergencies. Preventing climate-related illness through early detection and preparedness is ultimately more effective, and far less costly, than responding after disasters have already taken their toll.

The research-based biopharmaceutical industry likewise has an important role to play in strengthening health system resilience. Beyond developing innovative medicines, vaccines, and therapies for diseases that may become more prevalent because of climate change, the industry supports disease surveillance, health worker training, community education, and programs that expand access to quality healthcare, particularly in vulnerable communities. These efforts complement government initiatives to build more resilient and responsive health systems.

The industry is also committed to reducing its own environmental footprint. Many research-based pharmaceutical companies are lowering carbon emissions throughout their operations and value chains, increasing the use of renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, reducing water consumption, minimizing waste, and expanding recycling initiatives. These sustainability efforts demonstrate that protecting public health and protecting the environment are mutually reinforcing goals.

The fight against climate change cannot rest on any single institution or sector alone. It requires sustained collaboration. Climate change may be inevitable, but many of its health consequences can be prevented or mitigated through sound policies, resilient health systems, scientific innovation, and collective action. Every investment in climate adaptation and public health resilience is ultimately an investment in protecting lives.

Teodoro B. Padilla is the executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines, which represents the biopharmaceutical medicines and vaccines industry in the country. Its members are at the forefront of developing, investing and delivering innovative medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics for Filipinos to live healthier and more productive lives.