Scoping Review: Climate change and respiratory health in South Asia

This project is based at PRF in Bangladesh.

Overview

Project title: Climate Change and Respiratory Health in South Asia: A Scoping Review

Programme: Climate & Health

Based at: Projahnmo Research Foundation, Bangladesh

Start date: 01 October 2024

End date:  31 May 2026

Principal investigator: Rezwana Tabassum

Background

Climate change is a growing public health emergency, and the South Asia region is among the most significantly exposed to climate-related health risks. Across this region, respiratory health is significantly affected due to climate-induced environmental changes which contribute to an increased burden of respiratory diseases.

Despite growing recognition of the link between climate change and respiratory health, there remains a limited understanding of how specific climate-related exposures affect respiratory outcomes in South Asia. Evidence is unevenly distributed across disciplines and countries, making it difficult to draw region-wide conclusions.

Aim and Impact

This study aims to explore existing evidence exposing climate events and their outcomes linking climate change to respiratory health in South Asia.

The review will map the core concepts within the existing evidence on climate change and respiratory health, summarise current state of knowledge, and identify gaps for further investigation. This will be a helpful resource for researchers and policymakers, contributing to evidence-based decision-making and facilitating the development of targeted strategies to safeguard respiratory health in the context of climate change for the South Asia region.

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