Sharing the health benefits of climate solutions can boost public support for change

Highlighting the health relevance of climate change and the health benefits of climate solutions can generate support for climate action, a study from George Mason University researchers has found.

The research concludes that there is still limited understanding of the health effects of climate change in the United States, UK and Canada, with awareness higher in countries that are more vulnerable to climate change’s health impacts.

In many countries, health professionals are often considered trusted voices who can help to amplify and deliver the human health consequences of climate change.

“This is the most comprehensive review of research ever conducted on public understanding and health professional’s understanding of the human health relevance of climate change,” said Ed Maibach, a Distinguished University Professor and the director of George Mason University’s Center for Climate Change Communication within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “We think the findings are important because they strongly suggest that health professionals can—and many are willing to—play an important role in building public support for ambitious climate action.”

The Global Review of Research on Effective Advocacy and Communications Strategies at the Intersection of Climate Change and Health report, which can be read in its entirety here, also found that framing climate change as a public health issue can be an effective way to enhance public engagement with the issue and generate support for pro-climate policies and action. Health-framed messaging can be particularly valuable as it increases support for climate action among people across the political spectrum, including among those who tend to be less concerned about climate change.

The authors cautioned that scarcity of data—particularly in non-Western contexts—remains a challenge for development of conclusive engagement strategies. While the evidence for the effectiveness of framing climate change as a health issue is largely positive, a few studies show null or counterproductive effects under certain conditions, including when audiences have difficulty identifying with the people being impacted by climate change.

They also found that messaging emphasizing heightened vulnerability of some people may increase engagement among some audiences, but it could also undermine concern and support for action among audiences that are less vulnerable, which may exacerbate polarization.

The research was conducted by a team from the Mason’s Center for Climate Change Communication, including Maibach, John Kotcher (PhD Science Communication ’16), Eryn Campbell (PhD Climate Change Communication ’23), Kathryn Thier, and PhD students Saahi Uppalapati, Patrick Ansah, and Neha Gour. Uppalapati, Ansah, and Gour served as co-authors, and Richard Amoako, a PhD student in health communication, was the graphic designer for the report, which was commissioned by Wellcome, the global health foundation that supports science to solve urgent health challenges.

The report was shared during COP28, the first U.N. climate change conference at which the human health effects of climate change are being acknowledged through an international declaration and a thematic day dedicated to discussion of the impact of climate change on health.

The review looked at research published in the past 23 years on the views of the public, health professionals, and public officials regarding the health impacts of climate change, and evaluations of different strategies for communicating these impacts and future risks. It included nearly 200 studies published in English, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.

“More research of this type should be done to confirm these findings, especially in the Global South, but we hope this review sends a clear ‘green light’ to the many health professionals who are already working to educate the public and policymakers about the health relevance of climate change,” Maibach said.

The study’s authors propose a set of priorities for future research on public, health professionals, and policy-maker attitudes toward climate and health topics, including further context-specific research to address gaps in audience-driven climate and health communications.

The Center for Climate Change Communication is also host to the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, a program that amplifies the trusted voices of doctors and other health professionals to educate and champion equitable climate solutions that protect and promote human health. Founded in 2016, the consortium’s membership includes 50 national medical societies that represent millions of health professionals and reflects the Center’s efforts as a leader in research-to-practice in climate communication.

Additional funding from Wellcome will allow researchers at the center to explore further how policymakers perceive health impacts of climate change.

 “We’re witnessing the drastic impacts of climate change on health more starkly each day, especially among communities most at risk,” said Neha Dewan, a senior insight advisor at Wellcome Insights. “Insights into how people receive messages about climate and health are important as we seek to raise awareness of the risks, and work for action to combat climate change.”