Media Monitoring

Climate-friendly refrigerators enable vaccination for 11,000 Burkinabe: The ROCA (Ozone and Climate Friendly Cooling in West and Central Africa) project is driving significant advancements in green cooling technologies across Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, and Senegal. Running from April 2021 to March 2025, ROCA aims to curb the environmental impact of rapidly spreading RAC appliances by promoting ozone- and climate-friendly alternatives. The initiative enhances regulatory frameworks, offers extensive technician training, and implements practical solutions such as climate-friendly vaccine refrigerators and agricultural cooling systems. These efforts not only mitigate climate change but also improve public health and food security, showcasing the vital intersection of environmental sustainability and human well-being.

Renewable energy brightens future for Burundian health centres: The Ruhororo health centre in Burundi is overcoming significant challenges through the use of renewable energy, supported by Canada’s Global Initiative for Vaccine Equity (CanGIVE). Serving around 12,000 people, the centre has faced frequent power outages, hindering medical services and vaccine storage. With only a limited solar panel system, the centre struggles to maintain essential equipment, impacting patient care and vaccination schedules. The new renewable energy project aims to provide consistent power, enabling continuous operation of medical equipment, improving healthcare delivery, and ensuring better vaccine preservation. This initiative is crucial for enhancing health services and combating diseases in isolated communities, directly linking renewable energy to improved public health outcomes.

Emergency responder says climate change is a dire threat to health in Africa: Africa is facing severe health impacts due to climate change. The continent is grappling with increased climate-related illnesses, premature deaths, malnutrition, and mental health issues. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and hurricanes exacerbate these health challenges by disrupting food production, spreading vector-borne and waterborne diseases like malaria and cholera, and damaging healthcare infrastructure. These conditions are predicted to worsen, with the World Health Organization estimating 250,000 additional deaths annually between 2030 and 2050 due to climate-related causes. Addressing these impacts requires substantial investment in climate adaptation and resilience, yet current financing remains insufficient, making Africa highly vulnerable and challenging the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Shielding effects of climate change from children through quality school infrastructure, prioritises new report: SECTION27's new report, "Climate Change as a Human Rights Risk," highlights climate change as a significant threat to children's health and education in South Africa. It emphasises the impact of extreme weather events like the 2021 KwaZulu-Natal floods. These events have had a budgetary strain on school infrastructure and healthcare facilities. The report calls for climate-resilient school construction, adequate funding, retrofitting healthcare facilities, and early-warning systems. Framing climate change as a human rights issue, the report urges the State to adopt a child-rights-based approach to environmental protection.

Mitigating climate change’s impact on health through early warning systems: Climate change and variability are worsening health issues in vulnerable communities by increasing water and vector-borne diseases, malnutrition, and mental health problems, especially among those with pre-existing conditions like HIV/AIDS and NCDs. The rising incidence of zoonotic diseases adds to the strain on already resource-limited healthcare systems. To mitigate these impacts, early warning systems are crucial for enabling timely actions, such as pre-positioning supplies, vaccinating livestock, and relocating communities, thereby enhancing the resilience of health systems and communities. Effective early warning systems are aligned with policies like Kenya's Climate Change Action Plan and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.