Forwarding from the Global Health Network
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Date and time: 28 July 2026 | 11:00 - 12:15 BST
Dr Jimmy Volmink, Executive Director of Equity at Wellcome, will open this webinar by highlighting the importance of carefully crafting climate and health messages that effectively engage the public and build support for climate action.
The webinar will present findings from a large randomised controlled trial involving over 30,000 participants across Brazil, India, Japan, and South Africa. The study found that health-framed climate messages are twice as effective as non-health climate messages in increasing support for climate policies. Speakers will discuss the study's design, key findings, and implications for climate and health communication, offering practical lessons for researchers, communicators, policymakers, and advocates seeking to build public support for action in a warming world.
Speakers: Dr Jimmy Volmink (Wellcome); Dustin Gilbreath (Climate Opinion Research Exchange, CORE); Jorge Coelho de Jesus (Global Strategic Communications Council); Neha Dewan (Wellcome); chaired by Alun Davies (The Global Health Network – Mesh).
Register for the webinar: Messages that move – persuasive communication and engagement on climate and health
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/2517818807963/WN_wqKagISZQ4iYJJWQ5CqMGg#/
Description
Threats to human health and well-being from climate change are increasing rapidly. The imperative for action is clearer than ever, but what compels the public to support climate policy and action? Does awareness of health impacts drive support for solutions? What role can effective communications and engagement play?... Hear from Wellcome and CORE on persuasive messages and their salience in increasing public support for policy action in a drastically warming world.
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COMMENT (NPW): Current public understanding of the health impacts of climate change is limited. Increased public awareness could make a huge difference to public pressure on policymakers to treat climate change seriously.
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org