Planetary Health

Planetary Health research at the Chair is concerned both with reducing the negative effects of health systems on the environment and climate (mitigation) and with preparing health systems for increasingly frequent crises and extreme weather events (adaptation). The Chair plans to focus on research in the following 4:

1. International comparative analyses of planetary health policies and measures

In cooperation with the Health Systems and Policy Monitor (HSPM) Network, a research project is planned to systematically collect and analyze policy measures in Europe that aim to reduce the negative impacts of health systems and/or contribute to adapting the systems to future planetary challenges. In a first step, a database will be set up in order to identify similar approaches in different countries and to work out differences in these measures. The aim is to develop recommendations for decision-makers on which measures are available based on the measures identified. A particular focus will be placed on incentive systems that can help motivate healthcare organizations to implement the desired measures.

2. Estimating the costs of climate change on the German health system

The costs of climate change for healthcare systems have been estimated in various countries (e.g. Canada, UK, USA). In Germany, current estimates of the costs of climate change for health and the healthcare system are not available. Therefore, a new research focus will deal with estimating these costs and extrapolating them to the future. Existing methods and approaches from other countries can be used to estimate costs. The aim is to quantify climate change related health care costs in order to provide an impetus for greater efforts to mitigate or adapt to climate change.

3. Development of indicators to measure sustainability of hospitals

The implementation of sustainability measures in the German healthcare system is making insufficient progress due to a lack of incentives for stakeholders. In this context, indicators for measuring the sustainability of hospitals - with a view to mitigating negative effects and adapting to future challenges - could create an incentive for greater efforts. A new line of research will therefore focus on the development and measurement of hospital sustainability indicators. This research could build on existing studies on the topic (e.g. the ReKlimaMed report) and existing initiatives (e.g. the KliK Green Network or KliMeG). In addition, cooperation with relevant stakeholders, including the German Hospital Institute (DKI), various health insurance companies (Barmer, AOK) and the MCO will be essential.

4. Health impact of climate policies and climate impact of health policies Health impact assessments have been adopted in various policy areas for many years. Similarly, climate impact assessments have become increasingly established in various policy areas. However, health impact assessments of climate policies and climate impact assessments of health policies are less common. This is surprising, as the co-benefits of climate protection measures for health are often mentioned. For this reason, a further area of research is planned that deals explicitly with health impact assessments of climate policies and climate impact assessments of health policies.