Motivation
Climate change, alongside biodiversity loss and other planetary crises, is arguably “the biggest global health threat of the 21st century" (Costello et al., 2009) because it destroys our living conditions on the planet – through increased storms and floods, heat and drought, air pollution, water scarcity, harvest failures and famines, infections, conflicts, and migration. It hits poorer and more vulnerable populations particularly hard, exacerbating existing inequalities. Ultimately, it threatens the survival of our civilization.
Simultaneously, "tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century" (Watts et al., 2015), because what we need to do for climate stabilization is largely similar to what we should be doing for health. This includes making cities more pedestrian- and bike-friendly, phasing out fossil fuels, expanding use of agroecological practices, producing/eating less meat and more vegetables, and consuming fewer products (WHO, 2024). After all, many diseases are caused by air pollution, lack of exercise, unhealthy diets, and stress. A win-win situation!
Planetary Health builds upon the foundations of Public Health and Global Health, extending beyond their scope by explicitly integrating the Earth’s natural systems into the understanding of human well-being. While acknowledging the social, economic, and political determinants of health as well as global interdependence, Planetary Health emphasizes the crucial role of environmental sustainability in shaping health outcomes (Whitmee et al., 2015). Its long-term vision is clear: achieving healthy people on a healthy planet.
Our research group links climate research at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and human health research at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, guided by the transdisciplinary concept of Planetary Health. Our vision is one of better health and nutrition for all, within the limits of the planetary boundaries.
Key research areas
- Sustainable food systems
- Our group evaluates sustainable modes of agricultural production, e.g., agroforestry, and their effect on (planetary) health, as well as interventions to promote healthy and sustainable diets, including in institutional settings such as hospitals, using a variety of methods from epidemiological to qualitative approaches.
- Our group evaluates sustainable modes of agricultural production, e.g., agroforestry, and their effect on (planetary) health, as well as interventions to promote healthy and sustainable diets, including in institutional settings such as hospitals, using a variety of methods from epidemiological to qualitative approaches.
- Women’s and children’s health and nutrition
- Our group is dedicated to enhancing women’s and children’s health, with a particular focus on nutrition. We assess the impacts of climate change and environmental factors on nutritional status, food supply, and the food system, exploring how these factors influence health and children’s growth and development. We also evaluate interventions that are designed to improve health outcomes while simultaneously addressing climate change adaptation and mitigation.
- Our group is dedicated to enhancing women’s and children’s health, with a particular focus on nutrition. We assess the impacts of climate change and environmental factors on nutritional status, food supply, and the food system, exploring how these factors influence health and children’s growth and development. We also evaluate interventions that are designed to improve health outcomes while simultaneously addressing climate change adaptation and mitigation.
- Food and gut health
- Our group investigates how agriculture, diet, and health are connected, with a focus on gut health and disease. For example, we study how diversified cropping systems can improve plant quality and, when the plants are eaten, affect the gut microbiome and human health. We also examine how food quality and safety influence child intestinal health and evaluate strategies to reduce harmful exposures.
- Our group investigates how agriculture, diet, and health are connected, with a focus on gut health and disease. For example, we study how diversified cropping systems can improve plant quality and, when the plants are eaten, affect the gut microbiome and human health. We also examine how food quality and safety influence child intestinal health and evaluate strategies to reduce harmful exposures.
- Environmental contamination and health
- Our group seeks to better characterize and understand the impact of climate-sensitive environmental toxins or contaminants on human health, including air pollutants, industrial chemicals, arsenic, pesticides, and mycotoxins – particularly during vulnerable periods like pregnancy, infancy, and childhood. We seek to identify pathways of contamination and we design and evaluate interventions that limit exposure to environmental contaminants.
- Our group seeks to better characterize and understand the impact of climate-sensitive environmental toxins or contaminants on human health, including air pollutants, industrial chemicals, arsenic, pesticides, and mycotoxins – particularly during vulnerable periods like pregnancy, infancy, and childhood. We seek to identify pathways of contamination and we design and evaluate interventions that limit exposure to environmental contaminants.
- Health impact attribution and projections
- Our group applies methods from environmental epidemiology and climate science to quantify past and present disease burdens attributable to climate change. We investigate both direct impacts on health (e.g., through heat exposure) and indirect impacts (e.g., through reductions in agricultural productivity), with a focus on vulnerable and understudied populations such as children in low-income countries. We also project future climate-sensitive disease burdens under a range of climate and socio-economic scenarios.
Our objectives
With a particular focus on food systems, our research aims to generate evidence to inform the public, organizations, and policymakers. We seek to:
- Understand and quantify the impacts of climate, climate change, and the environment on nutrition and health,
- Evaluate the (potentially synergistic) effects of adaptation and mitigation programs and policies on nutrition, health, and the environment,
- Project the future population impact of climate change, environmental degradation, and adaptation measures on nutrition and health outcomes.
Working Group Leader
Amanda Wendt
Email: Amanda.Wendt@pik-potsdam.de
Join the team:
Information for applicants interested in joining the Climate Change and Health group.
Current projects
- Flooding effects on nutrition and health
- Digital solutions for attributing climate change impacts on child nutrition and health (CLIMAKID)
- Diversifying cropping systems for the One Health of soils, plants and humans (DCrops4OneHealth)
- Attributing direct and indirect impacts of climate change on child health in low-income countries
- Climate change and health junior researcher fund
Past projects
- Food and Agricultural Approaches to Reducing Malnutrition (FAARM)
- Food Hygiene to reduce Environmental Enteric Dysfunction (FHEED)
- Women’s empowerment in rural Sylhet, Bangladesh
- Causes of anemia in rural Sylhet, Bangladesh
- Drinking water quality and health impacts in rural Bangladesh (SWAPNO)
- Biochar-based fertilizers for improved food and nutrition security
- Maternal Exposures to Mycotoxins and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes (MEMAPO)
- Understanding causes and consequences of dietary change
The team
(in fall 2024 from left to right: Giulia Malevolti, Amanda Wendt, Lisa Pörtner, Sophie Gepp, Pauline Harich, Shafinaz Sobhan, Asya Dimitrova, Jillian Waid, Nicholas Kyei, Zhamal Chekirbaeva; missing: Anna Müller-Hauser, Oskar Masztalerz, Sabine Gabrysch)
