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Climate and Health

The climate crisis is a health crisis.  

Climate change impacts human health as well as health systems. It acts as an amplifier, exacerbating pre-existing health conditions, increasing the spread of infectious diseases and further straining overburdened health systems. At the same time, health systems themselves contribute to the climate crisis – it is estimated that they contribute up to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.  

We provide action-oriented solutions to help countries adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change on health.  

Crown Agents’ work on the climate-health nexus provides action-oriented solutions that span both adaptation and mitigation strategies, supporting countries on the route to resilient and sustainable low carbon health systems. Crown Agents is a member of the WHO-led Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health and is an active contributor to the global response to climate change, supporting countries to achieve their COP26 Health Commitments.  

We work equitably across sectors and disciplines to facilitate change across complex interlinked systems.  

Crown Agents applies a planetary health lens and systems-based approach to support countries to proactively anticipate and effectively respond to future threats such as pandemics or zoonotic diseases.  We support countries to take an equity-focussed and inclusive approach – ensuring citizen voice and accountability –particularly of marginalised and indigenous communities. 

Our strategic approach on climate & health  

The Crown Agents’ climate and health framework structures our service offerings around the following five pillars:

Governance & strategic planning for climate and health

We draw on Crown Agents’ longstanding relationships of trust to support governments in their efforts to integrate resilience and strengthen both policy and delivery systems to withstand climate shocks. We focus on equity and accountability to ensure robust decision making and create linkages to action taking place at the global level through ATACH and annual climate conferences.  

Accessing and managing finance for climate and health

We facilitate linkages between governments and key funders. We co-develop innovative funding models that unlock much needed access to climate finance for the health sector. We also provide PFM expertise to ensure value for money, compliance and risk management of investments within the climate and health space.  

Climate resilient health facilities

We strengthen climate resilience at the health facility level through targeted action on four key components (aligned to the WHO model):  

  • Energy – specifically health facility electrification/solarisation using our in-house blended finance model on Sustainable Electrification of Public Services (STEPS) which is being piloted in Sierra Leone;  
  • Resilient WASH and sustainable healthcare waste management (HCWM) at the facility level – we have supported over 5 governments across Africa and Central Asia assess and develop 10-year roadmaps for sustainable HCWM;  
  • Infrastructure & equipment – working with private sector contractors to upgrade building infrastructure (such as our Nepal Safer Schools Programme) and strengthen access to sustainable equipment such as the provision of solar fridges for medicines and vaccines to maintain an effective and low carbon cold chain.  
  • Health facility workforce – our longstanding work in health system strengthening provides a solid grounding in planning and development of the health workforce. Infrastructure and energy improvements also feed into staff retention at the facility level, improving working conditions and driving quality of care.  
  • Climate-smart supply chains: building off our unique position as a leading global health supply chain specialist, we apply principles of sustainable procurement to strengthen the resilience and move towards low carbon health supply chains. Leveraging our in-house tools such as the Crown Agents Logistics Management System (CALMS) and our Supplier Portal, we are able to integrate climate metrics into health supply chains with key suppliers.  
  • Climate informed health programmes: we take a cross-cutting approach to programming which enables us to embed the climate perspective across all our health programmes; be it considering climate factors into our work on last mile vaccine delivery or researching the impact of climate change on the behaviour and distribution of the Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) vector in Nepal.   

Our expertise relevant to delivering action on climate and health 

Crown Agents’ core capabilities lie in the provision of speciality advice and programme delivery in the following key areas:  

  • Programme design and implementation;
  • Specialist technical advice in global health, health system strengthening, climate change, energy and sustainability;
  • Government system strengthening with a focus on evidence-based decision-making;
  • Technical expertise in climate-smart infrastructure assessments and upgrading of public services;
  • End to end health supply chain services employing circular economy approaches;
  • Last mile delivery in complex and fragile contexts;
  • Data systems, M&E and research, integrating digital approaches for clinical reporting, early warning systems, citizen monitoring and reaching the hard to reach;
  • Public financial management for climate and health, including strong networks to leverage relevant global financing streams;
  • Fund management, including compliance and aggregator / verification expertise.