The notion that climate change poses a significant health risk is not as widely acknowledged as it should be. Yet the relationship between a warming planet and human well-being is profound, with impacts ranging from heat waves to the spread of infectious diseases. Alan Dangour, Director of Climate and Health at Wellcome, is determined to change that.
“Developing evidence-based solutions to the damage to our health done by climate change is genuinely vital,” Dangour told Mongabay during a recent exchange with Matthew Boyer, reflecting his mission to place health at the center of climate action.
Dangour’s journey at the nexus of human well-being and the environment began well before joining Wellcome in January 2022. As a Professor of Food and Nutrition for Global Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, he dedicated years to studying the intersections of environmental change, food systems, and public health. His time in academia highlighted the increasing toll that climate change was taking on health, a theme that has only grown more pressing. Today, at the helm of Wellcome’s Climate and Health program, Dangour leads a team focused on translating research into practical, policy-driven solutions that protect communities from the health consequences of a rapidly changing climate.
While the concept of climate change as a public health issue is not new, its mainstream inclusion remains limited. For many, the conversation around climate remains centered on atmospheric science, energy policies, and sea level projections. Dangour’s work aims to recalibrate this discourse. “When talking about the impact of climate change, we need to move beyond measuring this in degrees Celsius, carbon emissions and sea level rises and start evaluating the climate crisis in terms of lives at risk and the work towards protecting them,” he argues. By framing climate change as a health crisis, Dangour and his team hope to catalyze more immediate and impactful actions.
The Wellcome Climate and Health program seeks to strengthen the evidence base for how climate change affects health, from heat waves to the spread of climate-sensitive diseases like dengue fever. For Dangour, these connections are clear: “We’re increasingly experiencing extreme heat and the spread of climate-sensitive infectious diseases, such as dengue, in areas where they have not historically been a major issue, further north in Europe and America.” The geographical spread of such diseases, accelerated by rising global temperatures, serves as a stark reminder of the urgency to act.
But the challenge goes beyond merely understanding these health risks. One of the program’s central goals is ensuring that research translates into real-world solutions. That means not just publishing findings, but embedding them into the policy decisions that shape public health.
“We want to fund research that leads to action in the real world and offers practical solutions to address climate and health issues,” Dangour explained via email. To do so, Wellcome seeks to foster collaboration between researchers, policymakers, and communities. By supporting transdisciplinary approaches, they aim to break down the silos that too often limit progress.
A case in point is Wellcome’s research on extreme heat. The risks posed by heatwaves are clear: they strain the body’s ability to regulate temperature, leading to heat exhaustion and potentially fatal heat stroke. Elderly populations, infants, and those with chronic conditions are particularly vulnerable. To address these challenges, Wellcome is funding research that investigates community-specific interventions, from planting trees to cool agricultural workers, to testing the efficacy of cool-roof coatings in keeping indoor spaces habitable during periods of extreme heat.
Climate change also exacerbates gender-specific health risks. Dangour points to the example of maternal health, where extreme heat has been shown to increase risks during pregnancy.
“The impact that extreme heat has on maternal health is well documented, but we currently lack detailed understanding of the biological mechanisms involved,” he said. This gap in knowledge is exactly the kind of challenge that Wellcome seeks to address by supporting new research that can inform more effective public health interventions.
While the immediate focus of Wellcome’s efforts is on better understanding and mitigating the health impacts of climate change, the program’s broader ambition is to create a thriving field of climate and health research. This involves building a robust infrastructure that allows researchers to work across disciplines and countries. It also includes leveraging technology, such as artificial intelligence, to accelerate the synthesis and dissemination of evidence.
“In the future, it would be amazing to have an open-access AI tool that automatically updates evidence syntheses as studies are published,” Dangour noted, pointing to the potential for cutting-edge technologies to enhance how we generate and apply knowledge.
Beyond research, Wellcome plays a crucial role in convening different stakeholders, from government bodies to local communities, to push for health-centered climate policies.
“Philanthropic organizations are in a unique position to help convene stakeholders from community groups to researchers to policymakers to help affect change,” Dangour asserted.
This convening power, he believes, is key to ensuring that climate change is no longer discussed in abstract terms but in ways that relate directly to people’s everyday lives and health.
Ultimately, Dangour’s vision is for a world where health is central to all climate discussions. By embedding health into climate policies and actions, Wellcome aims to not only mitigate the harms of climate change but also create healthier, more resilient societies. For Dangour, this is both an urgent priority and a long-term commitment.
“We are working towards a healthier and more sustainable world where local communities and national governments are fully equipped to use evidence-based interventions to tackle climate and health emergencies,” he said.
The work may be daunting, but for Dangour, the path forward is clear: interdisciplinary research, robust evidence, and, most importantly, translating that evidence into action. The stakes are high, but so too is the potential to protect lives across the globe.
The interview (Questions by Matthew Boyer)
