Climate Change Solutions Update

Category: Health & Education

  • The Breaking Point: Addressing Climate Related Health Impacts on Women and Children

    To address the significant impact of climate change on human health in Africa, African nations need to integrate climate-related interventions into maternal, newborn, and child health programs guided by the Africa CDC's frameworks. The Africa CDC is working to build capacity, strengthen policy frameworks, promote equity-centered responses, improve data systems, address funding constraints, and champion research to enhance climate resilience and improve health outcomes. With a focus on countries with high climate exposure and maternal and child mortality rates, the Africa CDC plays a central role in coordinating climate and health responses, promoting national ownership, accountability, and multisectoral coordination to achieve climate-resilient health systems in Africa.

    https://africanclimatewire.org/2026/08/climate-related-health-impacts-on-women-and-children/

  • The “Sisterhood” Protecting Indonesia’s Coral Reefs

    Coral Catch, an organization in Indonesia, is training women in marine conservation to create economic opportunities and strengthen community ownership of marine ecosystems. Initially met with skepticism, the program has successfully trained 44 women who are now actively involved in conservation work. The training has helped participants secure better jobs in the conservation sector, with some leading shark population surveys and reef research. The organization provides long-term support through a network called "sisterhood," connecting women to jobs, mentoring opportunities, and professional training. This initiative is part of a larger trend in Southeast Asia where women's groups are playing critical roles in conservation efforts. Women-led initiatives such as the Green Belt Movement in Kenya and mentorship networks in Indonesia are empowering women to lead conservation efforts and build sustainable communities. In Southeast Asia, Coral Catch is training local women in marine conservation, with a focus on coral restoration. While these efforts have shown progress in restoring reef habitats, they are not enough to save the world's reefs on their own. The importance of long-term investment in mentorship, support, and education for women conservationists is highlighted, alongside the need for larger efforts to address climate change and other threats to marine ecosystems. The section highlights the importance of projects like Coral Catch in training local communities to protect reefs. Jaafar hopes to replicate the project in Malaysia with sufficient funding. The cost to start is estimated at 50,000 Malaysian ringgit. Alumni of Coral Catch dream of becoming scientific divers and leading conservation projects. The community of women working towards shared goals for the ocean is seen as a great reward.

    https://reasonstobecheerful.world/saving-indonesias-coral-reefs-by-empowering-women/

  • A Closed Virginia Gas Station Becomes a Launchpad for Clean Energy Careers

    FLIPP, Inc., founded by Raye Elliott in Buckingham County, Virginia, provides training and support for individuals looking to enter the clean energy industry. Their flagship program, FACER, supported by a U.S. Department of Labor grant, serves formerly incarcerated individuals, veterans, women, rural residents, and people of color, addressing barriers such as transportation and child care. FLIPP offers a $1,600 stipend and operates initiatives like CREED and Trades Workforce Development Program to prepare workers and assist small employers in hiring and retaining them. With a focus on making training accessible to rural workers, FLIPP extends its reach beyond Buckingham County to regions like Charlottesville, Norfolk, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, emphasizing the importance of building a clean energy economy and empowering individuals in communities undergoing the transition.

    https://generation180.org/blog/gas-station-clean-energy-va/

  • mCDR at Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW)

    Ocean champions gathered in DC for Capitol Hill Ocean Week, focusing on ocean health, economy, science, and well-being of coastal communities, with a key topic being marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR). Discussions emphasized the need for intentional and responsible development of mCDR, learning from past mistakes and involving diverse voices in shaping the field. Policy solutions highlighted a bipartisan approach grounded in community input, with a focus on the cost of inaction in addressing climate challenges. The section also discussed the irreversible harm caused by greenhouse gas emissions and the necessity of science-driven climate solutions like mCDR, recognizing the potential of mCDR as a climate solution and the importance of community engagement in shaping its development. Additionally, the potential for carbon removal solutions to address past issues of racism and discrimination in conservation work was highlighted, with an emphasis on inclusive and diverse voices in decision-making processes and collaboration with project developers and policy makers for a more hopeful future.

    https://carbon180.org/blog/mcdr-at-capitol-hill-ocean-week-chow/

  • Encoding Resilience: A vision for climate action

    The Techonomy Climate Conference emphasized the importance of integrating nature into climate change strategies, highlighting the One Earth Solutions Framework and Climate Model as tools for sustainable solutions. The framework focuses on renewable energy, nature conservation, and regenerative agriculture, supported by global climate science. The need for strategic thinking, education, and holistic approaches in developing climate tech solutions was discussed, along with the importance of protecting natural areas with deep biodiversity. Embracing Indigenous knowledge, community-led solutions, and grassroots efforts are key to achieving sustainable outcomes and addressing climate change effectively.

    https://www.oneearth.org/techonomy-climate-encoding-resilience-2024/

  • Local creative power in Philadelphia: Inside climate cultura Pennsylvania

    Latino creatives in Philadelphia recently gathered for the Climate Cultura program, which focused on clean energy, public health, and storytelling to address the disproportionate impacts of climate change on Black, brown, and low-income communities in Pennsylvania. The event aimed to make clean energy solutions feel local, personal, and actionable through storytelling that resonates with communities, highlighting local examples of progress and hope in addressing climate and energy challenges. The program empowers creators to bring climate conversations into traditionally overlooked spaces, collaborating on projects to spark discussions around clean energy and climate solutions. By building relationships and creating a national network of Latino storytellers, the goal is to shift the conversation around climate and ensure that stories of impacted communities are told by those living them, making the clean energy transition more inclusive and community-driven.

    https://generation180.org/blog/climate-cultura-philly/

  • NLR Partners With Colorado School of Mines and University of Utah To Scale Up US Critical Minerals Capacity

    The National Laboratory of the Rockies has signed memorandums of understanding with the Colorado School of Mines and the University of Utah to strengthen America's energy and material supply chains through critical minerals innovation, commercialization, and workforce development. The partnerships aim to scale up technologies for stronger supply chains and energy security, enabling integrated research and facility sharing to support concept-to-commercialization scalability of critical minerals innovations and build a skilled domestic workforce. The collaboration includes launching new facilities for critical minerals research and innovation in Colorado, focusing on advancing technologies related to materials supply chains, critical minerals, advanced materials, and manufacturing using AI-enabled science workflows and high-performance computing. These partnerships aim to accelerate innovation, education, and workforce development in the field of climate solutions, leveraging the capabilities of academic institutions to address challenges in energy resilience and critical minerals research.

    https://cleantechnica.com/2026/05/18/nlr-partners-with-colorado-school-of-mines-and-university-of-utah-to-scale-up-us-critical-minerals-capacity/

  • Health risks from climate change spur stronger public support for action, research finds

    A study found that informing people about health risks linked to climate change is more effective in spurring public support for government-led climate action than messages focused on economic or environmental impacts. Over 80% of participants in a survey across Brazil, India, Japan, and South Africa expressed concern about climate change impacts and backed government measures to prevent public health impacts. The World Health Organization stated that humanitarian emergencies are increasing worldwide due to human-caused rising temperatures, with over a third of the global population exposed to climate threats. Communicating these risks to the public can inspire climate action, as health is a universal concern. Despite pledges to strengthen policies to cut carbon emissions and improve health sector resilience to climate impacts, health has not been a top priority at key climate meetings. Different countries had varying reactions to climate change messaging, with South Africans concerned about children's health and food/water insecurity, Brazilians focused on mental health impacts, and Japanese prioritizing extreme heat. In India, air pollution and access to healthcare were top concerns. Respondents across countries supported government action to address health impacts of climate change, with measures like building solar capacity and investing in air-conditioned public buildings being popular. Experts emphasized the urgency of implementing climate action to protect human health, calling for declaring climate change a global health emergency and scaling up climate-health investment. The article section discusses the importance of climate action as a high-return investment for a more just and resilient society. The Wellcome Trust's survey shows that the public supports stronger action on climate change, with a focus on health being an effective way to engage new audiences. The health angle is seen as a fresh approach to climate dialogue, as it is personal, relevant, and depolarizing. While economic messages still have a purpose, health messaging could be a "missing piece" in climate communications, providing a new way to talk about climate change that feels very relevant to people.

    https://www.climatechangenews.com/2026/05/18/health-risks-from-climate-change-spur-stronger-public-support-for-action-research-finds/

  • UKHACC News Bulletin May 2026 – UK Health Alliance on Climate Change

    The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change has appointed a new Director, Charlie Brown, who brings extensive charity leadership and influencing experience. The government has committed to clean energy expansion, including ending new oil and gas licenses and banning fracking and coal licenses. Leaders of 57 countries met to develop plans to end reliance on fossil fuels, focusing on national roadmaps and addressing harmful subsidies. There is an upcoming lobby day in Parliament to support the Ten Point Plan on Plant-Rich Diets, endorsed by over 60 organizations including the UKHACC. The section also discusses upcoming events related to climate solutions in the healthcare sector, such as the Lancet MedZero global database for carbon analytics in healthcare and the SusQI Showcase highlighting sustainability in quality improvement projects. Cities are taking action on climate change to achieve health benefits, with initiatives like the West Midlands Climate-Health Explorer and CleanMed Europe 2026 conference. The importance of creating healthier and more sustainable food systems in the UK, integrating sustainability into oversight processes, educating health professionals on climate change, and understanding the impact of extreme weather events on mental health is emphasized. The newsletter mentioned in the section can be subscribed to for updates on climate solutions and invites submissions for inclusion in future editions.

    https://ukhealthalliance.org/news-item/ukhacc-news-bulletin-may-2026/

  • Achieving Safer Schools Across Pakistan

    The World Bank and GFDRR supported Pakistan in developing a risk-informed approach to prioritize school infrastructure after the 2022 floods, focusing on integrating risk into routine planning and providing engineering guidance for repair and reconstruction. A conference in 2025 emphasized the urgency of addressing vulnerabilities and shared responsibility to ensure safe learning environments for children. The project aims to help provinces make more risk-informed investment decisions and create safer schools and a more resilient education system through proactive, risk-informed planning. Pakistan is highlighted as an example of building a resilient education system for future generations, with standardized technical specifications for rehabilitation and reconstruction and improved coordination among government and partners to reduce education disruptions and prevent dropouts and learning losses.

    https://www.gfdrr.org/en/blog/safer-schools-pakistan