The research will assess the impact of climate change on health

Flickr/NB77

The WHO's new research agenda for climate change and health is a welcome effort towards making health considerations count for more in a post-Kyoto world, says an editorial in The Lancet.

At a meeting of 80 international experts in Madrid, Spain, last week, a research plan with five priorities was agreed on for the WHO. These include identifying effective measures to strengthen public health systems; assessing the impact of non-health sector policy decisions; comparing the effectiveness of short-term interventions; and characterising indirect effects of climate change, such as the risk of conflict.

The timing of this agenda is key, says the editorial — in December 2009, a successor to the Kyoto Protocol will be agreed on in Copenhagen, Denmark and some of the work outlined in the agenda will be important to inform discussions.

Link to full article in The Lancet*

*Free registration is required to view this article