CENTER FOR CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH (CCEH)

                            (Recognized by Government of India as Centre of Excellence under the National Programme on Climate Change & Human Health)

India Universities and Institutions Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (IUINDRR-NIDM)

News & Events

MOU(Green-O-Tech India)

Why focus on Climate Change & Environmental Health?

The fate of the Earth and the vulnerability of human society are intrinsically linked to the way humans impact the environment and influence climate change.  According to WHO, climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. It is estimated that between 2030 & 2050, climate change will cause approximately 25 0,000 additional deaths annually, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress etc.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report says that action on climate change must include both adaptation and mitigation simultaneously. There is a critical and immediate need to act towards mitigating greenhouse gases (GHG) and protect people & infrastructure from the inevitable impact of climate change.

To address the challenges in health, environment, and climate change, IIHMR Delhi established the Center for Climate, Environment & Health in the year 2019. The center aims to bring together academicians, scientists, policymakers, industry, health care providers and civil society with a mission to reduce the health impacts from climate change, especially in our most vulnerable populations.

Vision

CCEH aims to develop into a world recognized learning hub to promote evidence synthesis and capacity building in the field of climate change and environmental health. 

It aspires to contribute to the creation of a sustainable and resilient world where diverse ecosystems can thrive, thus equipping communities with the means to both mitigate and adapt to climate change.

CCEH works to 

• establish comprehensive networks and expand the knowledge base among institutions engaged in research and development related to climate science, encouraging research in the areas of climate change.
• conduct policy gap analysis and to measure the effectiveness of current policy on climate change.
• provide a comprehensive educational program in climate change and health that trains future leaders.
• carry out capacity building programs for states to increase their understanding of climate risks and vulnerability.

Our Initiatives-Focus Areas

What We Do

Academics

• Sensitize students about the effects of climate change on human and environmental health.
• Draws faculty from across academia, industry, policy sector, etc. to undertake teaching and research in the field of climate change.
• Works with national & international universities to bring together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and local businesses to serve as a focal point for innovators looking to bring about global change through ground-breaking, usable solutions. 
• Provide platform for hosting National and International conferences related to Climate change and Environmental Health.

Training

• Conduct capacity building programs to increase an understanding of climate risks and vulnerability.

Research

• Revolves around a multi facet dimension catering to the thematic areas of the Centre.  Research activities focus on issues such as climate change, rise of infectious diseases, exposure to toxic chemicals to name a few. 
• Create new partnerships/collaborations to advance knowledge on human health effects of climate change.
• Policy papers on emerging issues related to climate change & Environment health.

Services

• Sensitization of institutions and hospitals through mock drills like fires, chemical disasters, floods, cyclones, earthquakes, or any other unforeseen events that could result in harm or even death.

Glimpses of Work Done

Some Research Projects Undertaken by CCEH in the last 5 years

• 2013-2016 Climate change and malaria in sub-himalayan region and central India; Funded by DST
• 2017-2020 Climate Variability and Tribal Communities; Funded by DST
• 2018-2019 Health Impact Assessment of Delhi Metro; Funded by DMRC
• 2019-2020 Assessing the Knowledge & Awareness about COPD among healthcare providers and Community; Funded by Chest Research Foundation
• 2019-2020 Developing a Climate Vulnerability tool for health for state of Rajasthan, India Funded by WHO
• 2021-2022 The National Action Plan for Climate Change and Human Health; Funded by NCDC

Collaboration- With National Centre for Disease Control for Vulnerability Assessment for Climate Change for 18 States/UTs in the country in December 2021

Trainings & Capacity Building workshop- Organized “Training of Trainers” for 30 states with TERI on Climate change & Health Vulnerability Needs Assessment under National Program on Climate Change and Human Health, NCDC, Ministry of Health and Family welfare, Government of India.

Participated at the State level TOT for State and District Nodal Officers under National Program for Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) organized by Directorate of Public Health, Government of Odisha in February 2022.  

Advisory Role- Participated as civil society stakeholder in NDMA meetings with Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

Webinars- International Webinar on “Health Vulnerability for Climate Change" with experts from WHO Geneva, Belgium, Nepal on February 2022.

Presentations- Presented India Case Study at Regional training on 'Advancing health-climate action through improved vulnerability and adaptation assessment and planning' organized by WHO/SEARO in August 2021

IIHMR Delhi in collaboration with partner institutes organized Environmental Health e-conference on “Environmental determinants of Infectious Diseases in India in Dec 2020