Current evidence on climate and health in South America: A regional perspective from The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change
The session will have four main sections:
1) The first session will be 40 minutes long and be focused on analysing current evidence on the five areas mentioned in the introduction. These indicators have been obtained for South American countries; therefore, they provide regional and local evidence to inform decision making at different levels. The indicators have also been already reviewed by scientists, researchers, and experts in their fields, ensuring that the evidence is valid and robust.
The session will start with a brief introduction and contextualisation of the problem and status in the region. This will be presented by Stella Hartinger, director of the Lancet Countdown Latin America (ex Lancet Countdown South America). Then, the session will continue with short presentations of each area: Willy Lescano (Peru) will present the main findings of health hazards, exposures, and impacts; Avriel Diaz (Puerto Rico) will present the main findings for adaptation, planning, and resilience for health; David Rojas (United States / Mexico) will present the main findings for mitigation actions and health co-benefits; Oscar Melo (Chile) will present the main findings for economics and finance; and Bruno Takahashi (Peru) public and political engagement.
2) Based on the information from the first session, the second session will be focused on a discussion between key stakeholders in the region, including people from academia, the policy sphere, and civil society. This discussion will be guided by questions related to the main challenges in facing climate hazards and how people in South America can overcome these challenges by planning and implementing different climate adaptation strategies, as well as mitigation strategies to potentiate health co-benefits. The round table will be composed of people from different disciplines and sectors, promoting diversity and transdisciplinary collaboration. From academia, Raquel Santiago (Brazil), Juliana Helo (Colombia), and Luciana Blanco (Peru) will participate. From the policy sphere, we will have Priscilla Ulloa (Chile), Francisco Chesini (Argentina), and Daniel Buss (PAHO). From civil society, we will have Milena Sergeeva (GCHA – Latin America), Carolina Gil (HCWA – Argentina), and Ximena Cadima (PROINPA Foundation – Bolivia).
3) The third session will be focused on a brainstorming activity which will aim to analyse i) what potential future pathways (e.g., climatic, socioeconomic) South Americans would follow; ii) what main challenges associated with those pathways and their implications to climate and health are; and iii) what skills, tools, information, works, or collaborations would need South Americans to overcome future challenges and follow pathways that promote healthy and sustainable development under different climate scenarios?. In this session, UNGA participants will have the opportunity to participate through Mentimeter application.
4) A final closing session of 10 minutes will summarise all the information presented and discussed throughout the sessions.