The WFPHA Environmental Health Working Group

The Environmental Health Working Group aims to shape international environmental health policy and strengthen the integration of public health perspectives into environmental advocacy. Co-chaired by Hannah Marcus (Canada/Kenya), Dr. Lwando Maki (South Africa), and Professor Hanna-Andrea Rother (South Africa) (pictured below, from left to right), the Working Group brings together a diverse network of professionals committed to advancing evidence-informed policies, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and promoting coordinated action at the intersection of the environment and public health.

The three environmetnal health working group chairs

What is environmental health?

Environmental health is a branch of public health that studies how environmental factors (e.g., chemicals, climate, air, water, housing, workplaces, urban and rural areas, corporate interests, inequities) influence human health and disease, and how to control these factors to protect populations.
While nearly 25% of the disease burden globally is linked to preventable environmental health risk factors, environmental health remains underrepresented in public health policy, practice and medical training.

Why does environmental health matter to public health?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly a quarter (about 24%) of all global deaths (roughly 13 million lives each year) are directly tied to preventable environmental risks.
Clean air regulations and pollution control cut down on industrial emissions, lowering rates of asthma attacks, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart attacks, and strokes.
Protecting community water sources from bacterial, viral, and chemical contamination prevents waterborne gastrointestinal illnesses like cholera and cryptosporidiosis.
Environmental exposures account for roughly 26% of childhood deaths and a quarter of the disease burden in children under five, making clean surroundings vital for early development.
Tracking and adapting to climate shifts helps communities handle rising temperatures, severe heatwaves, shifting disease-carrying insect habitats (such as mosquitoes), and extreme weather events.
Environmental health programs work to eliminate disproportionate hazard burdens, ensuring that low-wealth and historically underserved neighborhoods are not unfairly exposed to toxic waste, lead, or dirty air.

Aims of the WFPHA Environmental Health Working Group

The aim of the Environmental Health Working Group is to build the capacity of national public health associations and to represent the WFPHA in global forums by:

Addressing critical intersection points between public health and the environment, including climate change, planetary health, and environmental risk factors.
Collaborating with international member organizations and public health professionals to develop guidelines, policy suggestions, and advocacy frameworks.
Engaging in global health and environmental dialogues—such as contributions around major gatherings like the World Congress on Public Health, the UN Climate Change CoP, and the UN Global Framework on Chemicals

Past Activities and Initiatives

International Climate Policy Engagement: Participation in annual COP negotiations through UNFCCC, co-convening side events addressing climate change and health, just transitions, air pollution, migration and displacement, and One Health; representation on WHO Civil Society Working Group on Climate Change and Health

International Chemicals Policy Engagement: Participation in SAICM, the Global Framework on Chemicals, and the development of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution.

One Health Satellite Meeting (2025): Convening of international experts and development of a consensus statement on One Health on the sidelines of COP30 in Belém.

World Health Assembly (2024): Advocacy supporting the adoption of the landmark resolution on climate change and health.

Global Public Health Week (2024): Webinar titled Fueling Change: Unveiling the Health Impacts of Fossil Fuels and the Imperative for a Just Transition.

World Environmental Health Day (2023): Webinars on global environmental public health and climate advocacy, alongside publications on climate litigation and climate-related migration.

Global Road Map for Health Care Decarbonization (2021): Contributions to the development and dissemination of Health Care Without Harm’s global road map.

Environmental Health Publications

Gaulton T, Langreiter M, Izon-Cooper L, Cole H, Kovats S, Rother H-A, et al. Exploring the interactions between climate change, chemical exposures and public health. Environmental Research: Health. 2026;4:013001.DOI: 10.1088/2752-5309/ae3597
Nel A, Miller ME, Rother H-A. Environmental health recommendations for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review. BMC Public Health. 2026;26:974. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-26503-4
Marcus, H. (2026). Climate change-related migration and displacement: Addressing the adaptation gap. The Lancet Planetary Health, 101462.
Ngambo, G., Hanna, E. G., Gannon, J., Marcus, H., Lomazzi, M., & Azari, R. (2023). A scoping review on e-cigarette environmental impacts. Tobacco prevention & cessation, 9, 30.
Toolan, N., Marcus, H., Hanna, E., & Wannous, C. (2022). Legal implications of the climate-health crisis: a case study analysis of the role of public health in climate litigation. PLOS ONE, 17(6).
Marcus, H., Hanna, L., Tait, P., Stone, S., & Wannous, C. (2023). Climate Change and the Public Health Imperative of Supporting Migration as Adaptation. Journal of Migration and Health, 7, 100174.
Marcus, H., & Hanna, E. (2021). Barriers to Climate Disaster Risk Management for Public Health: Lessons from a Pilot Survey of National Public Health Representatives. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 1-4.
Marcus, H., & Hanna, E. (2020). Understanding national barriers to climate change adaptation for public health: a mixed-methods survey of national public health representatives. International Journal of Health Governance, 25(4), 287-306.
Patterson, D., & Tahzib, F. (2023). From analysis to action: Climate change litigation: A guide for public health professionals. Faculty of Public Health.
University of Sydney, Heat and Health Research Center. (2026). What works against heat [Interactive evidence platform].
WHO Civil Society Working Group on Climate and Health. (2026). Protecting health in the age of climate disinformation: Safeguarding information integrity in the context of climate change and health [Position paper]. Global Climate and Health Alliance.
Health Care Without Harm. (2021). Global road map for health care decarbonization: A navigational tool for achieving zero emissions with climate resilience and health equity.

Environmental Health Training Resources

Opportunities to Work with the Environmental Health Working Group

The WFPHA Environmental Health Working Group meets online every two months. Group members currently focus on climate change, chemicals, and air pollution. However, we welcome other environmental health expertise and interest. We look forward to collaborating with those interested in environmental health.
Contact: secretariat@wfpha.org