Climate Change’s Double Blow: How MSF Workers are Adapting to Devastating Effects
Humanitarian aid charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has released a new report highlighting the devastating impact of climate change on its workers and the communities they serve. The report, titled ‘A hostile climate: Confronting the challenges of aid delivery in the context of climate change’, sheds light on the challenges faced by MSF humanitarian workers as they navigate a rapidly changing environment.
Researchers from MSF’s Humanitarian Action for Climate and Environment (HACE) Initiative and Heidelberg University Institute of Global Health interviewed 49 humanitarian staff in 30 different countries to understand how they are experiencing and responding to the effects of climate change. The findings reveal that climate hazards such as changes in water availability, food scarcity, and damaged infrastructure are exacerbating humanitarian needs worldwide.
Climate change is posing significant challenges to the ability of humanitarian workers to effectively respond to communities in distress. The report highlights how damaged infrastructure and disrupted supply chains, as well as hazardous conditions for mental and physical health, are making it increasingly difficult for aid workers to deliver life-saving assistance.
Despite these challenges, MSF is determined to adapt to the crisis and continue its important work. The organization’s teams are already implementing changes to their operations, including data-driven emergency preparedness, surveillance for climate-related risks, and collaboration with communities to build resilience.
However, the report also emphasizes that adaptive measures within MSF and wider communities remain limited in scale and scope. Léo Lysandre Tremblay, Lead of MSF’s HACE Initiative, stresses the need for more ambitious action to reduce risk, increase preparedness, and protect vulnerable populations from the impacts of climate change.
MSF hopes that by sharing its findings, other organizations will be inspired to reflect on the health impacts of climate change on their practices and take action to minimize the effects of climate-related health threats. The charity is committed to raising awareness of the struggles faced by humanitarian workers, patients, and communities in the face of a changing climate.