Climate, health and inequality: Challenging common silo approaches promises fewer risks and great opportunities for all Interdisciplinary Analysis of Climate Change and Health Policy

There is huge potential for health policy in contributing to climate change mitigation and, vice versa, of climate policy in reducing disease burden, as previous research has shown. On the other hand, well-planned climate change adaptation measures are needed to prevent people from lower income groups from suffering the impacts of climate change and exacerbating inequalities. Yet, silo approaches are still common and this link has been largely ignored in practice in the European Union (EU) and its member states in the past. Slowly, policy-makers are becoming aware of the link between health and climate as well as the interlinkages of this nexus with equality, the later here understood as equal access to opportunities, good living conditions and consequently chances for equal health outcomes for all.