Protecting health from climate change - Vulnerability and adaptation assessment: A "how to" Guide

Climate change is adversely affecting the health of populations around the world, with the greatest impacts in low-income countries. The future health impacts of climate change will vary over spatial and temporal scales, and will depend on changing socioeconomic and environmental conditions, as well as the preparedness of communities and health systems to avoid preventable health problems. Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) Assessments are a key instrument to identify and prepare for changing health risks. V&A assessments can provide information for decision-makers on the extent and magnitude of likely health risks attributable to climate change, as well as suggest priority policies and programmes that can prevent or reduce the severity of future impacts. WHO and PAHO developed a Technical Document with input from over 20 countries, that is designed to provide basic and flexible guidance on conducting a national or sub-national V&A assessments. The document provides examples and references for users.