Mitigating human health impacts of climate change: A case of Kerala state in India

Abstract

Climate change poses a serious threat to human health. The health sector plays a crucial role in addressing the challenges posed by climate change. It must both manage the unavoidable health impacts and take steps to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to broader climate mitigation efforts. Kerala, an Indian state, has formulated its State Action Plan on Climate Change and Human Health (SAPCCHH), a comprehensive long-term planning document. Set to remain in effect until 2027, the plan has broader implications for promoting climate-resilient and sustainable healthcare. Kerala's public health system stands out for its emphasis on accessible primary healthcare at the community level and its decentralized governance.SAPCCHH leverages key opportunities in the state, including empowered local self-governments that are implementing democratic decentralization. Its success in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and the Nipah virus offers valuable global insights on how health systems can be better prepared to address the health impacts of climate change across various levels. This collaborative governance model, which emphasizes local and decentralized governance, can play a vital role in mitigating the health impacts of climate change. In this paper, we examine how a decentralized health ecosystem can be instrumental in mitigating the health impacts of climate change, using Kerala's successful responses in the past. The paper highlights three key strengths of Kerala's health system, which have broader implications for addressing the health challenges posed by climate change: Local self-government-led primary health system, Community mobilization, and Intersectoral collaboration.