In response to the need for urgent and decisive action to keep within the 1.5 - 2°C target of the Paris Agreement, the Pathfinder Initiative aims to increase motivation and capacity by showing how the implementation of well-designed policies and technologies can yield multiple benefits for people and planet.
Scientific oversight for the initiative is provided by The Lancet Pathfinder Commission, comprising international experts in decarbonisation from key sectors, including energy, cities, food, transport and health care.
The report of the Pathfinder Commission, published in The Lancet, brings together evidence showing how climate mitigation actions across different sectors can bring major benefits to health in the near term and prevent millions of premature deaths annually worldwide.
The Pathfinder Initiative Climate & Health Evidence Bank brings together evidence from the Pathfinder Commission report and case studies from around the world of implemented solutions with measured greenhouse gas emissions reductions and health benefits.
We provide practical, evidence based pathways to net zero through transformative local, regional and global actions. Our vision is to create a global community that delivers transformative solutions for a healthier, fairer and more prosperous future.
The latest scientific evidence shows that the international community is still falling far short of the Paris Agreement climate goals of 1.5-2°C global temperature rise. Significant progress is urgently needed to create a healthier, more sustainable future in which the world is no longer dependent on burning fossil fuels and human societies can thrive within planetary boundaries. To achieve this goal, transformative actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve health must be implemented across sectors at local, national, regional and global scales.
The Pathfinder Initiative aims to accelerate a just transition through providing practical, evidence-based pathways to net zero that also bring benefits to health. The Initiative, funded by the Wellcome Trust with support from Oak Foundation, is led by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) with scientific oversight of the Lancet Pathfinder Commission, an international group of experts from diverse sectors and disciplines.
As part of the first phase of work, LSHTM researchers carried out a comprehensive review of existing literature on the health co-benefits of climate action and gathered case studies from around the world of implemented solutions with measured greenhouse gas emissions reductions and health benefits. The findings are published in The Lancet and available on an interactive climate and health evidence bank.
A new Coalition, hosted by Pathfinder, will be launched as part of the second phase of work to bring together key actors from national and local government, international organisations, research institutions, implementation partners and funders of climate action. The Coalition will aim to increase ambition and support the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of climate solutions that benefit health and society.
Partner organisations of the Pathfinder Initiative include C40 Cities, CDP, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Watch the launch event of the Lancet Pathfinder Commission report
Explore the Pathfinder Climate & Health Evidence Bank
Sign up to the Pathfinder Initiative newsletter
Rosie
Green
Professor
Sarah Whitmee
Assistant Professor
Robert
Hughes
Clinical Assistant Professor
Sunita
Malhi
Project Coordinator
Sarah
Sharpe
Communications Manager
Ellie
Darbey
Communications Officer
Kris Murray
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH
Peninah
Murage
Assistant Professor
Hugh
Sharma Waddington
Assistant Professor
James
Milner
Ass. Prof. in Climate Chg., Env. & Hlth.
Blanca
Anton
Research Fellow
Tamzin
Reynolds
Research Assistant
Lorna
Benton
Research Fellow in Planetary Health
Soledad Cuevas
Honorary Assistant Professor
Romain Clercq-Roques
Research Assistant
The publications below include products of the Pathfinder Initiative and Lancet Pathfinder Commission, and background material from previous research.
To find practical pathways to zero-carbon by 2050, we need real-world examples from a range of organisations, people and cities.
As part of the first phase of work, case studies of evaluated actions that mitigate greenhouse gases and benefit health and wellbeing were gathered by the Pathfinder research team. The call for evidence included actions taken by the public and private sectors, civil society and not-for-profit organisations, and from any sector, including energy, transport, agriculture and land use, oceans, industry, human settlements, health care, and education, as well as nature-based solutions like conservation and restoration.
Submission of examples of cross-sectoral or system-wide actions, including actions at the nexus between mitigation and adaptation were also encouraged.
The case studies gathered by Pathfinder are showcased on a new Climate & Health Evidence Bank.
Read the previous call for evidence
The Lancet Pathfinder Commission: pathways to a healthy, zero-carbon future—a call for evidence
The Lancet Pathfinder Commission
The Commission is co-chaired by Helen Clark, Joy Phumaphi and Sir Andy Haines.
Aromar Revi - Director of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS)
Prof. Johan Rockström - Professor, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
Richard Horton – Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet
Selina Lo - Senior Research Fellow, Monash Sustainable Development Institute
Dr. Leena Srivastava - Deputy Director General for Science, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Dr. Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum - Head of the Climate Change and Health Programme, WHO
Prof. Mariana Mazzucato - Professor in Economics of Innovation and Public Value, UCL
Rachel Huxley - Head of Mitigation, the Wellcome Trust
María Cortés Puch - Vice President of Networks, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Aimee Aguilar Jaber - Programmes Director, Hot or Cool Institute
Gong Peng - Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Hong Kong
Dr. Tolullah Oni - Clinical Senior Research Associate, Cambridge
Dr. Robert Zougmore - Africa Program Leader, The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
Dr. Nicole de Paula - Sustainability Fellow, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) Potsdam
Prof. Lorraine Whitmarsh - Director - Centre for Climate Change & Social Transformations (CAST), Department of Psychology
Prof. Kris Ebi - Professor in the Departments of Global Health and of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington
The Coalition on Climate Action for Health, hosted by the Pathfinder Initiative, will bring together a global community of committed partners including local and national governments, academia, business and civil society to accelerate the transition to a healthy, sustainable future for all.
The Coalition aims to support the delivery of climate change commitments while promoting and sustaining health and equity, and is underpinned by four key principles*:
- Implementing rapid reductions in GHG emissions consistent with the Paris Agreement targets through evidence-based actions that aim to improve health and health equity
- Use of systems thinking and implementation science in the design and delivery of actions, including the co-design of actions to maximise benefits to health and wellbeing, while assessing potential trade-offs and minimising harms
- Ongoing assessment of actions through regular measurement and reporting on progress using robust evaluation methods, including following the Paris rulebook for emissions and standardized approaches to estimating changes in health-related exposures, determinants, and/or outcomes, as well as the costs of action and wider social impacts
- Supporting mutual learning through resources such as training materials, courses, technical manuals and decision support aids, and by sharing lessons learnt, including barriers and facilitators of success, with both Coalition partners and the broader community.
Collaborators will commit to reporting annually on progress towards the net zero target, including greenhouse gas emissions, health effects and other policy relevant outcomes such as the economic costs of action and wider social impacts.
If you are interested in becoming a signatory of the Coalition on Climate Action for Health, please contact sarah.sharpe@lshtm.ac.uk with your name, title/role, organisation, motivation for joining the Coalition and any questions you may have about becoming a signatory. Please note that Coalition signatories will be entities/organisations rather than individuals.
*These principles are currently in draft form and will be finalised in consultation with early signatories of the Coalition.
Members of the Pathfinder Initiative research team at LSHTM and researchers at LSHTM's Global Health Economics Centre are collaborating with the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change in Italy and the Office of Health Economics in the UK on a new Wellcome Trust-funded project focusing on the economic evaluation of the health impacts of climate action. Project partners will review existing economic evaluation methods; identify gaps in research capacity and uptake; bring together key stakeholders including economists, researchers and users of climate and health data; and provide guidance to inform future evaluations.
Interested stakeholders from diverse disciplines, geographies and sectors are invited to sign up to get involved.
As leaders and stakeholders from around the world gather for COP29 in Baku, the Pathfinder Initiative will be reiterating the need to integrate health into all climate policies, and the major health benefits that can be achieved from ambitious climate action across all sectors.
The Pathfinder Initiative research team will be presenting findings and recommendations from the Lancet Pathfinder Commission report and wider Pathfinder Initiative at the following events:
Health co-benefits of climate action, ATACH Day, Health Pavilion
11.15am-12.30pm GMT/ 3.15pm-4.30pm GMT+4, 19 November
Professor Andy Haines, Co-Chair of the Pathfinder Initiative and Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health at LSHTM, will be giving a keynote speech on behalf of the Pathfinder Initiative at this session hosted by the World Health Organization. The presentation will highlight evidence on the health co-benefits of climate action, and how to capitalise on these health co-benefits through effective action across all sectors.
Read more and watch the livestream
Climate Change and Health: Crafting Policies for Africa's Urban Future, OECD Pavilion
2.30pm-4.00pm GMT/ 18.30-20.00 GMT +4, 19 November
This event, hosted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), will bring together academics, government representatives, and international institutions to discuss how climate mitigation policies can shape health outcomes across cities in Africa, and how a systems thinking approach can contribute to these efforts. Members of the Pathfinder Initiative team and Lancet Pathfinder Commission will take part in the panel and share insights on challenges and opportunities for African cities to implement policies that bring climate and health benefits.
Speakers:
- Annalisa Primi, Head, Economic Transformation and Development Division, OECD (moderator)
- Vicente Ruiz, Economist, OECD Development Centre
- Sarah Whitmee, Assistant Professor at LSHTM and co-PI of the Pathfinder Initiative
- Aimee Aguilar Jaber, Programmes Director, Hot or Cool Institute, and Lancet Pathfinder Commissioner
- Nurudeen Alhassan, Senior Research and Policy Analyst, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), and part of the AFIDEP Pathfinder Initiative team
From 29-31 October, key stakeholders in climate and health came together for the inaugural Climate and Health Africa conference, hosted by CeSHHAR Zimbabwe in collaboration with the Zimbabwean Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife and the Ministry of Health and Childcare. As part of the second phase of the Pathfinder Initiative, project partners including the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), hosted a workshop on the sidelines of the Climate and Health Africa conference focusing on identifying gaps and needs in research and policy for capacity-strengthening work in sub-Saharan Africa.
Ahead of the conference and workshop, Dr Elizabeth Kimani-Murage, Alice Ritho and Dr Kanyiva Muindi from APHRC shared insights on challenges and opportunities for climate and health in Africa.
The Global Evidence Summit, hosted by Cochrane, JBI, Guidelines International Network (GIN) and the Campbell Collaboration, took place in Prague from 10-13 September to explore evidence generation and dissemination for action across different sectors, including health, education, social justice, the environment and climate change.
The Pathfinder Initiative took part in a panel discussion on “Climate change adaptation, mitigation and health policy: towards an integrated field”, focusing on advancing evidence-informed policy and practice in the field of climate change and health. Andy Haines, Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health at LSHTM and Co-Chair of the Pathfinder Initiative, presented on the need to develop and implement evidence-informed policy, highlighting findings from the Pathfinder Commission report. Hugh Sharma Waddington, Assistant Professor at LSHTM and part of the LSHTM Pathfinder research team, also presented findings from Pathfinder research and emphasised the importance of integrated efforts to generate evidence on climate and health using modelling and evaluation.
Jan Minx from the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change chaired the session and panellists included Isabel Fletcher (Wellcome Trust), Ruth Steward (Future Evidence Foundation), and Lisa Askie (World Health Organisation). Building on discussions at the What Works Climate Solutions Summit in June, speakers highlighted the need to mainstream health into the climate agenda and put health at the centre of the evidence building for action.
The LSHTM Pathfinder Initiative research team and partners took part in the What Works Climate Solutions Summit from 9 to 12 June in Berlin to discuss evidence-based climate policy.
Andy Haines, Co-Chair of the Pathfinder Initiative and Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health at LSHTM, presented findings from the Lancet Pathfinder Commission report in a keynote speech. The Pathfinder Initiative also hosted a session on “Aligning evidence on climate change mitigation and health”, presenting findings from a workshop on the health co-benefits of climate mitigation and highlighting ways forward for research, policy and action on climate and health.
The Pathfinder Initiative, in collaboration with the What Works Climate Solutions Summit, hosted a workshop on 30 April and 1 May, focusing on the health co-benefits of climate mitigation. Speakers and participants explored what works in climate policy, under what conditions and why. Experts from a range of disciplines and backgrounds discussed challenges and opportunities in research and policy, and how to build a robust evidence base on climate mitigation and health to inform decision making at all levels.
Results from the workshop will be used to inform evidence reviews, guidelines, checklists and data harmonisation methods under development as part of the second phase of the Pathfinder Initiative. The workshop outputs will also inform the programme of work at the main summit in June 2024 and will be presented at a session on Aligning evidence on climate change mitigation and health insights from the Pathfinder Initiative and partners.
The 2024 Planetary Health Summit and Annual Meeting (PHAM) took place on 16-19 April at Sunway University in Malaysia, bringing together over 1000 participants from 63 countries. The first PHAM hosted in an Asian country covered a range of topics relating to planetary health including the health effects of air pollution, the use of AI, planetary health in education, impacts on mental health, food systems, healthcare systems, and indigenous knowledge.
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine – Prof Andy Haines, Tamzin Reynolds, and Blanca Anton – were among presenters, highlighting key findings from the report of the Lancet Pathfinder Commission and broader Pathfinder Initiative on the health benefits of climate mitigation actions. Evidence from the Pathfinder Initiative featured in sessions focusing on planetary health research and turning planetary health and earth system science into beneficial action.
Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and a member of the Lancet Pathfinder Commission, has been awarded the 2024 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for his pioneering work on the “Planetary Boundaries” framework, a scientific guide to help keep the planet in a safe operating space.
The Tyler Prize Executive Committee awarded the prize to Professor Rockström for his “science-based approach to sustainable development for people on a stable and resilient planet”, citing the need for a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to the mounting environmental crises.
Professor Rockström is the second Pathfinder Commissioner to be given this prestigious award, considered the 'Nobel Prize for Environment', after Andy Haines, Co-Chair of the Pathfinder Commission and Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health at LSHTM, won the award in 2022.
Dr Sarah Whitmee, assistant professor at LSHTM and lead author of the Lancet Pathfinder Commission report; Jess Beagley, policy lead at the Global Climate and Health Alliance; and Shweta Narayan, climate and health campaigner, Health Care Without Harm, emphasise the need for continued engagement by the health community to ensure that climate action is commensurate with the scale of the threat.
The authors highlight the "health firsts" at COP28, but argue that health is not yet protected by sufficiently ambitious climate decision making.
Read the comment piece in the BMJ.
COP28 included the first ever health themed day, a climate health ministerial, and a declaration on climate and health endorsed by over 140 countries. Representatives from the Pathfinder Initiative took part in a range of activities at COP, presenting findings from the Commission report and advocating for more ambitious action to mitigate climate change and improve health. Events featuring Pathfinder Co-Chairs, Commissioners and researchers included:
- How Ambitious Emission Reductions Can Save Lives, keynote speech delivered on Health Day by Joy Phumaphi, Co-Chair of the Pathfinder Initiative
- Solutions showcase in the green zone, presentation by Prof Tolu Oni, Pathfinder Commissioner
- Health as Entry Point for SDG / Climate Synergy: A Focus on Cities, Air Pollution and Justice, presentation given by Dr Sarah Whitmee, LSHTM
- Harnessing the health co-benefits of climate action, hosted by partners of the Pathfinder Initiative at the health pavilion
- UNFCCC side event on Accelerating a just transition for healthy people and a healthy planet, presentation by Dr Sarah Whitmee.
Following the conference, Professor Andy Haines, Co-Chair of the Pathfinder Initiative and Professor of Environmental Change and Public health at LSHTM, and Professor Liam Smeeth, LSHTM Director, commented in the BMJ on the outcomes and their implications for climate action and health.
As leaders gather for COP28, Professor Andy Haines, Co-Chair of the Pathfinder Initiative highlights key findings from the Pathfinder Commission report and explains how governments and decision makers can implement actions that help to mitigation climate change and improve health.
Read the comment piece (originally published on the OECD Forum Network website)
The report of the The Lancet Pathfinder Commission, part of the Pathfinder Initiative, highlights the opportunity for ambitious climate mitigation actions to improve health and save lives.
The report, published in The Lancet, shows how climate mitigation actions across different sectors have the potential to bring major benefits to health, and highlights the opportunity for global leaders to take actions that would prevent millions of premature deaths annually worldwide.
The report calls for a step-change in evidence-based action to capitalise on health gains that can be achieved through accelerating a just transition to net zero, including by rapidly phasing out of fossil fuels and replacing them with clean renewable energy, shifting to healthier more sustainable diets, and increasing physical activity by promoting active travel and public transport.
For the first time, global evidence on the health co-benefits of climate mitigation actions across sectors has been quantified and compared through a methodology developed by the Pathfinder team, led by researchers at LSHTM.
In addition to analysing the results from modelled evidence on potential health benefits from climate mitigation, the report includes examples of implemented actions with measured climate and health benefits. Further case studies and data from the Pathfinder review are showcased in a new online Climate & Health Evidence Bank, hosted by the Pathfinder Initiative.
Following the recommendations of the Commission report, the next phase of the Pathfinder Initiative will include the development of a Coalition of partners committed to the implementation and evaluation of ambitious action on climate and health.
The Commission and its report are part of the wider Pathfinder Initiative that aims to accelerate the transition to net-zero societies through providing practical, evidence-based emissions reduction pathways that also benefit human health. The initiative is funded by the Wellcome Trust with support from the Oak Foundation. Research is led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; partners of the first phase of work include C40 Cities, CDP, the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), and the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research.
Find out more about the Coalition
The Pathfinder Initiative will be hosting an event on the 21 November 2023, 17:30 – 19:00 (GMT) at LSHTM and online to present the findings and recommendations from the Lancet Pathfinder Commission report: Pathways to a healthy net zero future. The report provides the most comprehensive review to date of evidence on the health benefits of greenhouse gas mitigation by sector, as well as presenting evaluated examples of implemented actions. The review and case studies cover a wide range of initiatives across energy, transport, the built environment, agrifood systems, industry, sanitation and nature-based solutions, and highlight the opportunity to accelerate a just transition to net zero while bringing benefits to health and society.
At the launch event, speakers from the Pathfinder Initiative will present key findings and recommendations from the report, and highlight their significance ahead of COP28 in Dubai.
The Pathfinder Initiative, Wellcome Trust, Global Climate and Health Alliance and World Health Organization hosted an event at the Bonn Climate Change Conference on integrating health into the Global Stocktake. Speakers discussed the links between climate and health, including losses and damages, the health co-benefits of mitigation and adaptation, and examples of policies across sectors that benefit both people and planet.
In an open letter published during COP27, leading experts including the Pathfinder Co-Chairs and Commissioners, call for a new Coalition to scale up and evaluate climate change actions to ensure health and equity are priorities as the world faces increasing climate risks.
The Pathfinder Initiative hosted a side event as part of the 2022 Planetary Health Annual Meeting (PHAM), coordinated by the Planetary Health Alliance.
LSHTM researchers presented the challenges of bringing together coherent evidence on the health co-benefits of climate mitigation actions and ways forward to advance research in this area and generate evidence to inform policy and practice.