Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 4 — Narrative / commentaryPeer-reviewed

The 2018 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: shaping the health of nations for centuries to come

Nick Watts, Markus Amann, Nigel W. Arnell, Sonja Ayeb‐Karlsson, Kristine Belesova, Helen Berry, Timothy Bouley, Maxwell Boykoff, Peter Byass, Wenjia Cai, Diarmid Campbell‐Lendrum, Jonathan Chambers, Meaghan Daly, Niheer Dasandi, Michael Davies, Anneliese Depoux, Paula Domínguez-Salas, Paul Drummond, Kristie L. Ebi, Paul Ekins, Lucía Fernández Montoya, Helen Fischer, Lucien Georgeson, Delia Grace, Hilary Graham, Ian Hamilton, Stella M. Hartinger, Jeremy Hess, Ilan Kelman, Gregor Kiesewetter, Tord Kjellström, Dominic Kniveton, Bruno Lemke, Lü Liang, Melissa Lott, Rachel Lowe, Maquins Odhiambo Sewe, Jaime Martínez-Urtaza, Mark Maslin, Lucy McAllister, Slava Mikhaylov, James Milner, Maziar Moradi‐Lakeh, Karyn Morrissey, Kris A. Murray, Maria Nilsson, Tara Neville, Tadj Oreszczyn, Fereidoon Owfi, Olivia Pearman, David Pencheon, Steve Pye, Mahnaz Rabbaniha, Elizabeth Robinson, Joacim Rocklöv, Olivia Saxer, Stefanie Schütte, Jan C. Semenza, Joy Shumake-Guillemot, Rebecca Steinbach, Meisam Tabatabaei, Julia Tomei, Joaquín Triñanes, Nicola Wheeler, Paul Wilkinson, Peng Gong, Hugh Montgomery, Anthony Costello

The Lancet · 2018

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Summary

The 2018 Lancet Countdown on health and climate change synthesised multidisciplinary evidence linking climate disruption to health outcomes via food systems and agricultural pathways. The report articulated mechanisms by which climate change threatens food security, agricultural productivity, and nutritional adequacy, framing climate change as a direct public health priority. As suggested by the title and authorship, the work aimed to provide policymakers with health-centred rationale for climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.

UK applicability

The report's global scope and policy framing are relevant to UK climate and health strategy, particularly regarding food system resilience and the role of agriculture in climate adaptation. UK-specific applicability would depend on the extent to which the report assessed temperate zone agricultural systems and northern European health vulnerabilities.

Key measures

Health impacts attributed to climate change through food system pathways; food security indicators; agricultural productivity metrics; nutritional adequacy measures

Outcomes reported

The report synthesised evidence on climate change impacts to health through food systems, including effects on food security, agricultural productivity, and nutritional adequacy. It assessed mechanisms linking climate disruption to health outcomes at national and global scales.

Theme
Climate & resilience
Subject
Climate & greenhouse gas mitigation
Study type
Narrative Review
Study design
Narrative review
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
Global
System type
Food supply chain
DOI
10.1016/s0140-6736(18)32594-7
Catalogue ID
BFmovi1x8l-k4rq3y

Topic tags

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