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Forecasting Healthy Futures: A Discussion with the 2025 FHF Resilient Futures Award Winners

During the Forecasting Healthy Futures Global Summit 2025, FHF presented its 2025 FHF Resilient Futures Award to Matea Cañizares, a 17-year-old high school student, and Dr. Daniel Romero-Alvarez, an infectious disease eco-epidemiologist working as an associate professor at Universidad Internacional SEK, for their project, “Heat Stress Factors in Ecuadorian Schools: A Multi-case Study of Environmental Conditions in Three Ecoregions." While FHF received a strong pool of submissions in response to this year’s open call for abstracts and posters, their project stood out for its scientific rigor, originality, and its high potential to impact climate-resilient public health. The selection committee also recognized their project for its clear commitment to equity and community relevance, especially in applying satellite data to highlight an often-overlooked issue: the health risks posed by extreme heat in educational environments.

Congratulations on being named this year's FHF Resilient Futures Award winners! Can you tell us about your project and how it came about?

CAÑIZARES: So, I play football (soccer) almost every day here in Ecuador, but since Ecuador is close the equator, we’re constantly dealing with excessive temperatures. And since I’m often playing on fields, I’ve realized these environmental factors are affecting my well-being and can inhibit my physical activity. So, I decided to learn more about this.

In Ecuador, school infrastructure lacks standards on temperature control, solar protection, or vegetation cover. So, this study looked at various environmental conditions in schools across Ecuador's ecoregions using satellite data – and how heat stress and radiation levels are impacting our health.  

Dr. Daniel Romero-Alvarez, my mentor, taught me how to use Google Earth Engine to extract data, and together we studied the impacts of heat on Ecuadorian schools by extracting data on environmental factors in different schools of Quito.

Through the project, we analyzed vegetation, temperature and radiation by looking at vegetation density, temperature levels, and solar radiation in Ecuadorian schools across three ecoregions using space-based technologies with a focus on nature-based solutions to protect human health. We used Google Maps and Google Earth Pro to assess conditions in 3 schools per ecoregion (Coast, Andes, Amazon). We looked at satellite data products and measured land surface temperature, enhanced vegetation index, and downward shortwave radiation.

We found that coastal schools had the highest temperatures and lowest vegetation, Andean schools experienced the highest solar radiation due to elevation, and Amazonian schools had the highest vegetation levels. Only one school had an average temperature below the heat stress threshold (26 Celsius degrees). So, we found an apparent relationship between vegetation and lower temperatures, although the effects varied by region.

We delineated school perimeters as polygons, and the corresponding environmental data were obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. We were looking at key indicators such as land surface temperature (LST) as a proxy for heat exposure, enhanced vegetation index (EVI) for greenness, and downward shortwave radiation (DSR) for solar exposure.

Our findings show most schools exceed the heat stress threshold on average; however, there is environmental heterogeneity across and within ecoregions. Schools in the Coast region had the highest temperatures, which correlates to strong heat stress whereas schools in the Andes region had the highest solar radiation levels. Lower vegetation index values correlated with increased heat stress across all regions. Only one school had an average temperature below the heat stress threshold. These environmental conditions have critical implications for student health since excessive heat exposure has negative health impacts, while vegetation cover may decrease temperature levels.

Ecuador lacks standards for temperature control, solar radiation protection, and green spaces in schools so our findings also underscore the need for context-specific and climate-responsive educational standards that integrate nature-based solutions for extreme heat mitigation and protection from solar radiation.

I then met with the Ministry of Education to present recommendations since there are no specific policies about how schools should adapt their infrastructures with vegetation and other climate health requirements that impact student well-being. Our research made an impact and that’s made me really happy because this now not just about identifying a problem but also showing a solution.

ROMERO-ALVAREZ: The most amazing thing about this project was being able to use open access data to derive conclusions that can have an actual impact. Basically, we were able to use satellite imagery to obtain data which now benefits not only those in Ecuador but a lot of other countries. Typically, just sharing data is often a challenge, so this project has been not only fascinating but exciting!

CAÑIZARES: Another thing that is very important about our method in using Google Earth Engine is that it's easy to replicate. So other young people who have a basic computer set up with an internet connection can replicate this method, because it doesn't require a lot of skills. Using the code provided in our study, they can study their own environmental factors using the same satellite technology and better understand data from their own local context and their own schools to realize the impact that radiation has on vegetation, temperature, and their well-being. I’m excited because this has the potential to work on a global scale. So, I hope other young people can learn from this and then use data satellite to help influence public policy and create even more of an impact. This study can be replicated using a representative sample to produce national standards for Ecuador or in other countries to identify the environmental conditions of schools with the aim of assessing their needs.

ROMERO-ALVAREZ: For me, one of the most interesting consequences of this project is precisely how we can use open data streams to convey messages. We hope that this study can help inspire others. For example, if someone in Peru wanted to assess whether environmental variables affect the health on their school students, they can easily take our data or go with what we discovered. Because this study is replicable, it’s something that can be implemented everywhere so that something that makes us very happy. 

Your project was recognized for its inclusion of equity and community relevance. Why was this important to include?

CAÑIZARES: Yes, that was another thing. While our study didn’t focus on distinguishing between public schools and private schools, our study did find that private schools had higher levels of vegetation, due to increased resources to implement landscaping, whereas public schools, in the same region and similar locations, didn’t have the resources to focus on vegetation, resulting in higher temperatures. Our hope with our studies is to further assess how these differences impact student well-being and perhaps use satellite data to impact public policies, such as perhaps giving more money to public schools to increase vegetation or help reduce temperatures to improve the well-being of students.

ROMERO-ALVAREZ: Equity is fundamental because the essence of problem-solving is to be open to different perspectives and different views. Sometimes we forget to hear local voices, because we are super concentrated, for example, in academia or science-based theories, when in fact, a lot of times, the local population, the people that are actually experiencing the problem or the situation have a lot of wisdom that we should definitely consider in order to propose a solution or something. These sorts of open data streams are proving resources so we can actively help communities to be more aware of what is happening in their surroundings and to take local action.

You also addressed nature-based solutions for health and climate resilience. Can you tell us what you learned?

CAÑIZARES: Nature-based solutions, or NbS, are considered a valuable educational tool, particularly for promoting outdoor learning in schools. However, the relevance of vegetation in schools for planetary health and climate resilience remains less apparent to policy- and decision-makers. Studies suggest that the presence of vegetation has an influence on mental health and learning outcomes and that green cover can moderate temperatures. In addition, natural shade can further protect students against solar radiation. Therefore, school greening should be considered an important priority in nature-based actions targeting health risks through improved climate resilience. Investment is needed to first identify cost-effective ways to evaluate and monitor conditions at schools, for example, using digital tools. Second, assess the levels of exposure to moderate and high heat stress and solar radiation levels at schools in relation to vegetation density and characteristics. Third, create or reform school infrastructure standards and provide resources to use NbS to increase or modify vegetation at schools. Fourth, they need to assess the learning outcomes of students before and after interventions. Promoting planetary health must recognize the importance of the school as a critical setting for health and a space for urban greening, especially since children and adolescents spend much of their daytime there. My study on health-related environmental conditions in different ecoregions of Ecuador has garnered the interest of the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders, and may serve as a model for using satellite data to inform and develop strategies for implementing NbS in schools in countries facing similar environmental challenges.

Given the name of the award, ‘Resilient Futures’, what does that mean to you and what’s your hope for the future?

ROMERO-ALVAREZ: Today, all around us, we are seeing the damage that we as humans are doing to the planet. In a way, the planet is throwing these back to us: emerging zoonotic diseases, climate change, landscape alteration, and antibiotic resistance, are examples. A resilient future would be to think about how to survive. Our hope is that science will advise decision makers and policymakers to improve societies as we face all these threats, and a resilient future is precisely trying to use that collective knowledge to confront all these problematic scenarios.

CAÑIZARES: What ‘resilient futures’ means to me is working with children and young people who will become future policy makers. My hope is to help them develop their civic skills and help them analyze and propose solutions using information for decision making and thinking about their life experience. So, this connects with me playing football, which is my lived experience, which motivated me to use information for decision making. I hope that other young people playing football or doing other activities will use their lived experience to propose solutions or to be motivated to identify what digital platforms are available and how they can, in turn, impact policymaking.

Matea Cañizares is a student at Colegio Johannes Kepler, Quito, Ecuador. Dr. Daniel Romero-Alvarez is Associate Professor at the Emerging and Neglected Diseases, Ecoepidemiology and Biodiversity Research Group, Undergraduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Internacional SEK, Quito,Ecuador.

Blogs / News / Press Releases - 06/04/2025

Climate Change & Health: A Discussion with Derek Wallace, President of Takeda's Global Vaccine Business Unit

In a discussion with Forecasting Healthy Futures, Derek Wallace, president of Takeda’s Global Vaccine Business Unit, talks using science to better tackle the health impacts of climate change.

What are some of the ways that you see climate change impacting human health?

WALLACE: Climate change may have profound impacts on global health. For example, intensifying weather has the potential to disrupt food and water supply, posing a significant risk to nutrition. As the world continually warms, we’re seeing vector populations present for longer periods each year, increasing vector-borne disease all over the world. Imagine someone living in or travelling to an area where vector-borne disease is common. When they travel to an area without the disease but with the vector, they can seed that disease into the local vector population leading to local outbreaks in areas usually non-endemic to the disease. Historically this has occurred with yellow fever, which is why yellow fever vaccinations are crucial to prevent the reintroduction of the virus in places that are currently free from the disease.

We see similar dynamics with dengue. Local dengue outbreaks occurring in places like southern Florida are the result of somebody who might have travelled from another region bringing dengue to new areas where there are now established mosquito populations. As new areas become more conducive to vector growth, the concern is that we’ll see more diseases spread.

How can we help mitigate the impact of climate change? What role can scientists and researchers play?

WALLACE: First, it’s important to identify which areas are going to be most impacted by climate change and where these vector-borne diseases could expand to. With that said, the solution can’t be a one-size-fits-all approach. For example, climate change could make some areas drier, and thus mosquitoes could be less of an issue in those regions. Other areas, however, could see warmer, wetter climates where mosquitoes will start to thrive. We really need to understand and better predict these changing weather patterns, using better models to identify where the impact on human health could be the greatest.

Then, it’s about building resilience – efforts to control vectors have been used for decades, but alone, haven’t been the most effective in preventing all vector-borne diseases. To promote resilience, we need to do more than just vector control. Education plays a critical role, not only in helping at-risk individuals understand and minimize their exposure to diseases, but also in enhancing healthcare systems’ diagnostic and management capabilities. Engaging healthcare professionals is also going to be critical, to help identify and manage health conditions impacted by climate change.

Lastly, scientific advancements in preventative methods like vaccines play a crucial role in mitigating climate-related health risks, helping protect not just individuals but entire populations. Developing and distributing vaccines takes specialized expertise and collaboration and coordination between public and private sectors is key.

As you’ve been working on vaccines, what lessons have you learned?

WALLACE: To be successful there are two key areas we must consider. First, where vaccination fits in when it comes to tackling the health impacts of climate change, and with that, how do we make vaccines accessible. Second, is how to scale up production and distribution of the vaccine – this is key to help governments reduce the burden of disease for the population.

At Takeda we are taking steps to better prepare for the potential impacts of climate change, particularly when it comes to dengue. We have a plant in Germany that’s part of our efforts to manufacture and distribute our dengue vaccine. We also have a broader global strategy to expand access to the vaccine by working with collaborators, which should accelerate access in endemic areas. One of our manufacturing partners is Biological E. Limited in India, and with their support, our goal is to be able to produce and distribute 100 million doses per year by the end of the decade. We’re also exploring country-level initiatives to transfer technology and build further capacity for manufacturing of our dengue vaccine.

Our dengue vaccine is currently available in more than 25 countries, and we’re also excited about clinical trials underway that will help expand our knowledge about the vaccine, further inform implementation strategy and support launches in new countries in the coming years. We started clinical trials in 2013, but the vaccine itself dates back to the 1980s, which underscores how long and complex the vaccine development process can be. It’s a very large commitment for a company to invest in development and manufacturing long before we’re in a position to have an impact, but it reflects our sense of responsibility to protect public health.

It’s so important to recognize that no one group can do this alone. With constant travel across countries and continents, disease outbreaks in one country can impact other areas, spreading quickly. Coordination must be at scale and cross borders. It also must cross segments of society, including hospitals, industries, ministries of health, environment, finance and so on. It’s a very complex, interconnected world that we live in, and we need to be activated in parallel. If we’re all working separately, we can never really expect to address the issue.

What is needed to move forward to better tackle the health impacts of climate change?

WALLACE: We need public health groups like the World Health Organization and others to stay focused on the impacts of climate change on health – helping advise countries on the best ways to build resilience and anticipate challenges. With that, there is also room for the value the private industry can bring. My hope is that there can be more open discussion about the complexity of these issues and the multiple avenues that can be a part of solutions. We need good science, strong trust and companies working in tandem with governments – and we’re already seeing some of that, which is exciting.

If we are going to truly protect our communities from the health challenges posed by climate change and its impact on vector-borne diseases, bold and collective action is required from all sectors to accelerate efforts. For example, ensuring that we get pricing right, making vaccines and other tools accessible. The best way to provide fair pricing is through public funding and public decision making about who should be prioritized for vaccination. Another example is making sure we have enough vaccine supply available for those who need it, ahead of major outbreaks. Predicting, planning and building capacity is critical.

I’m clearly hopeful about the future, because we have knowledge and experience to help address critical environmental health issues, such as the disease-related impacts of climate change. Plus, we recognize that the well-being of our patients and their communities is inextricably linked to the health of our planet.

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Blogs / News - 05/30/2025

Climate Change & Health: A Discussion with Pathfinder CEO, Dr. Tabinda Sarosh

In a discussion with Forecasting Healthy Futures, Dr. Tabinda Sarosh, CEO of Pathfinder, talks about how the climate crisis uniquely impacts the health of women and girls.  

As CEO of Pathfinder, with over two decades of experience in the humanitarian and development sector, what makes Pathfinder’s mission so unique and why were you passionate about joining?

SAROSH: That is a good question! I am, by education, a clinician … a medical doctor. But long before I got my medical education, I was a part of the local women’s rights movement and grew up around a lot of women’s rights activists in South Asia.

And at that time, the women's movement in Pakistan was agitating against laws that limited a women's ability and agency to exercise their bodily autonomy. This included rape laws that required women to produce witnesses.

After my medical education, I decided to pursue public health, but combine it with contributing to women's bodily rights, autonomy, and agency. So, I joined a Pakistani feminist collective which was taking a very intersectional approach to women’s health, including working on climate and environment. We did a lot of work around age of marriage. To prevent child marriage, for example, we conducted extensive research and an advocacy campaign that resulted in a legislation change in the country, and standardizing the age of marriage to 18. Additionally, we were doing a lot of work around maternal and reproductive health. We must recognize that women and girls face a different kind of a stigma when they access services. And that is where practitioners like us can help form a bridge between women in communities and health systems.

This journey led me to Pathfinder, which supports women’s health, well-being, and growth, ensuring every woman can reach her full potential and drive catalytic impact in her community and country. I joined Pathfinder in 2016 as the country director for Pakistan, where I introduced integrated climate and health programs, given my background in cross-sectional programming and advocacy campaigns where climate was also at the forefront. Evidence had started coming in as far back as two decades ago that climate was having an impact on the health of women and girls, especially those associated with agricultural movements. That went on to build our organizational strategy for climate and health.

We focus on women-led, and community-led climate resilience by strengthening health systems so that they are responsive to the impacts of climate change, particularly on the health of women. COVID-19 gave us quite a few insights into what health systems can look like if they’re overwhelmed, and that’s what climate change can also do. But we also know that women, particularly pregnant women, have unique challenges when it comes to dealing with diseases and epidemics.

I’m very excited to be the CEO of Pathfinder right now. It can seem cliché to say this is the most challenging moment, but we cannot deny that this is indeed a historical moment where the need is the greatest. Women and girls are facing challenges like they’ve never had before. But there are also great opportunities for women’s leadership on climate and health. The idea is to solve for women’s agency and create pathways to leadership and sustainable solutions that work for them.

Pathfinder is unique because we take a very in-depth approach towards systems from top to bottom – and then bottom up. We look to understand where there are moments of optimization in health systems – and where are the gaps that can be filled, whether it’s building capacity, developing the health workforce (and let’s not forget that most of the frontline health workforce is women) or collecting data. So, we’re working at the higher policy level to activate implementation plans and then supporting governments to implement those plans. That’s why we’re unique – we bring all that expertise and then hone it in on women and girls and services specifically for them.

More and more data show that women’s needs don’t stand in silos. For example, when you’re in a community addressing family planning, you quickly realize that women are also dealing with food insecurity. And food insecurity is more often than not connected to climate change …or connected to poverty … or connected to the ability to access other resources. So, we can no longer take simply a vertical approach.

At Pathfinder, I’m excited and optimistic about the connections we’ve been making, as well as the innovations we’re introducing.

What are some of the biggest health challenges facing women and girls as a result of climate change? What are the solutions? And how do we scale those solutions?

SAROSH: One of the first challenges that comes to mind is around age of marriage – and looking at the various drivers that motivate parents to arrange early marriages for girls, such as food insecurity, drought or conflict. That combined with the compromised status of women and girls who live in societies entrenched in patriarchy. We know women are often the last to eat, the last to go to a health service, and many times their first interaction with a healthcare provider is when they are going for pregnancy- and delivery-related services.

So, we must look at how to increase those health engagements for women. In climate-affected areas, situations are often compounded with challenges, such as transportation issues, or competing priorities with food, education and childcare. And we know that the changes that come through climate change become real stressors for women. When that’s the case, they often resort to unhealthy, unsafe choices that only compound the entire problem.

For example, women health workers in climate-affected areas, many times must walk miles and miles to reach households and provide services to them. Women and girls are often responsible for fetching water for their families, sometimes walking miles and miles to a water source, keeping them from attending school, earning an income, and exposing them to gender-based violence. In climate-affected areas, we also see a deprioritization of education, because the economic stresses can often force a household to rely on the labor of their children.

A case study that I often cite is the fisher women in Kenya around Lake Victoria, because when the fishing catch diminished and many men had moved out of the region, it left the women behind to tend after the children. So, then the women started fishing. But for a fish to then reach the market, women often faced other challenges, such as coercion, transactional sex, and other forms of discrimination like not being offered the right price for the fish. So, these pre-existing challenges are exacerbated by climate change and multiply.

Why is it so important to use intersectional approaches to climate and health to address these specific challenges faced by women and girls – and what approaches is Pathfinder using?

SAROSH: As mentioned, vertical approaches often don’t work, because women don’t have regular access to systems or don’t even access healthcare systems unless they are pregnant. When we talk about intersectional approaches to maximize opportunities for women, we’re talking more in terms of multisectoral. For example, understanding the issues for women around sexual reproductive health, but also how their situations are being compounded by climate change. But it's also issues around privilege, race and caste in many societies – these sorts of issues are all interwoven.

One of the things we’ve been advocating and implementing is integrated delivery models, especially for primary healthcare. Once again, primary healthcare is that one opportunity to reach out to women and girls, so we work to integrate nutrition, vaccinations, counseling, and so on within primary healthcare services. That’s where Pathfinder, with the integrated service delivery model, has found the most success.

As a virtual keynote speaker for the recent Forecasting Healthy Futures Summit in Brazil, why is it important to highlight the intersection of climate and health?

SAROSH: Just the name Forecasting Healthy Futures, reflects how important it is for us to look at the future and understand where we can be. While we may think the future may not be as rosy as we would want it to be, we also recognize that we do have an opportunity to create solutions that are sustainable and scalable right now.

Pathfinder is also a name that gives me joy, because we are pathfinding into the future. So, this was a natural marriage for Pathfinder and Forecasting Healthy Futures to come together.

As we work toward the next COP, we know health continues to be at the forefront of climate-related talks. As we consider the future, health is going to become even more important. Stresses from funding disruptions coupled with climate impacts will continue to multiply. That’s why we have to focus on becoming even more innovative and meet people from different organizations or other parts of the world to share our learnings and solve health challenges posed by climate change, together. Groups like FHF, for example, will become only increasingly important, particularly for women’s and girls’ health and their overall well-being.

What gives you hope?

SAROSH: What gives me hope? Women and girls! They give me hope. Definitely. Technology also gives me hope. For example, women and girls are demonstrating tremendous leadership when it comes toward leveraging technology, innovating solutions and expressing themselves. Women are using technology to voice what’s wrong, what they need or what could be done better and creating solutions that are helping the planet. They come from different parts of the world, but they are coming together and sharing, learning and unlocking potential.

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Blogs / News / Stories - 05/22/2025

ClimateSmart Indonesia Launches Novel AI Public Health Platform to Tackle Climate-Driven Diseases 

JAKARTA (May 12, 2025) – As part of a broader effort to build more climate-resilient health systems, ClimateSmart Indonesia recently launched (5/5/2025) the world’s first AI-enabled, dual-capability technology platform for forecasting and responding to climate-sensitive diseases.   

Developed by the Institute for Health Modeling and Climate Solutions (IMACS),  the Indonesian Collaborative Research and Industrial Innovation in AI (KORIKA), and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the technology platform debuted in Jakarta during the “ClimateSmart Indonesia Innovation Forum” under the auspices of Indonesia’s Ministries of Health, Environment, and Communications and Digital Affairs, and in partnership with the country’s meteorology, climatology, and geophysical agency BMKG. The ClimateSmart Indonesia initiative has been working in partnership with these agencies and other stakeholders over the last two years, to advance climate and health data systems and their application in Indonesia, through a collaborative process with funding from Reaching the Last Mile (RLM) and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.  

Climate & Health Technological Breakthrough 

The technology platform developed under the ClimateSmart Indonesia initiative has two main features representing major advances in public health data systems and technology: 

  • Digital Twin Indonesia that visually models future climate and weather scenarios, and maps emerging disease hotspots to allow early intervention for prevention and response. 
  • AI Dashboard that delivers hyperlocal forecasts, real-time alerts, and scenario-based planning tools for public health officials to improve the cost-efficiencies of disease control programs.  

With predictive accuracy exceeding 90%, this system can anticipate outbreaks of malaria, dengue fever, leptospirosis, and 4 other climate-sensitive diseases. 

An Ecosystem for the Future 

The technology platform’s technological innovations include: 

  • AI-based malaria detection from microscope images research 
  • Development of a GPT-RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) language model for climate-health policy, combining the capabilities of large language models (LLMs) with retrieval mechanisms to provide contextually relevant and accurate responses. 
  • A powerful database architecture that integrates climate, health, and demographic data 

ClimateSmart Indonesia aims to help the Indonesia Government design and implement a “best in class” early warning and response system (EWARS) to address the growing threat of climate-sensitive diseases and other challenges to public health.  

“Indonesia is the ideal location for establishing a regional center of excellence for AI, climate, and health. By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics, Indonesia is pioneering innovative approaches to anticipate, adapt to, and mitigate the complex health challenges posed by our changing climate,” said Prof. Dr. Hammam Riza, President of KORIKA. “In the coming weeks, we hope to launch a task force to plan for this center of excellence, which will build on Indonesia’s national ecosystem of innovation, science, and governance, serving as a resource for other countries working toward more climate-resilient health systems.”

The launch of the novel digital technologies by the ClimateSmart Indonesia partners represents a pivotal step in the nation’s use of AI to tackle the dual challenges of climate change and public health. “This is not just a technological milestone; it reflects a strong national commitment to protecting lives today while building a more resilient and sustainable future through innovation and global collaboration,” stated Vice Minister of Komdigi Nezar Patria, M.Sc., MBA.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Chairman Dwikorita Karnawati said the urgency of integrating climate and health data to address escalating disease threats. “Studies show that climate is a significant driver of increased human exposure to various diseases,” she said. “Changes in temperature and rainfall patterns affect exposure to water- and food-borne illnesses, such as salmonella, and vector-borne diseases like Lyme disease.”

“ClimateSmart Indonesia represents a paradigm shift in how we approach climate-sensitive diseases,” said Michael Andreas Purwoadi, Infrastructure Deputy at BMKG. “By integrating climate and health information and harnessing AI for prediction and planning, it enables Indonesia to analyze and address disease risks with unprecedented speed and precision.” 

“By integrating climate and health intelligence, Indonesia is setting a global precedent,” said Dr. Setiaji, Chief of the Digital Transformation Office at the Ministry of Health. “Through Satu Sehat and ClimateSmart, we’re defining the future of digital public health.”

“To strengthen the resilience of the health system, we need strong health data and significant investments in early warning systems and surveillance. Accurate data is essential for climate-related disease strategy development,” said Then Suyanti, Director of Environmental Health at the Ministry of Health, representing the Minister of Health Ir. Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

During the event, Kelly Willis, Global Lead of the Forecasting Healthy Futures Consortium, highlighted the role of climate data and AI in predicting and preventing the health impacts of climate change. “Forecasting Healthy Futures has a broader mandate to protect global health gains against climate change’s effects. We work by convening experts and mobilizing funding worldwide to invest in health systems that are vulnerable to climate change, making them more resilient,” she explained.

Dr. Kashik Sarkar, Director of IMACS, emphasized that climate change impacts health in three significant ways: it determines who is affected, where individuals can access services, and how diseases cluster geographically, particularly affecting the most vulnerable populations. He stated, “These dynamics make climate and health information crucial. Unfortunately, climate and health data are still siloed across the globe. As a result, most health systems lack an integrated solution. This is where AI comes in; it can help merge this information.”

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About Forecasting Healthy Futures 

Forecasting Healthy Futures is a global coalition of leading health and technology organizations committed to mobilizing the political will, financial resources, and innovative solutions needed to protect global health gains from the threats posed by climate change. Malaria No More convenes and leads the consortium. Forecasting Health Futures’ partners include Reaching the Last Mile, Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE), PATH, the Tableau Foundation, IBM’s Weather Company, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). For more information, visit: www.ForecastingHealthyFutures.org. 

About Reaching the Last Mile 

Reaching the Last Mile (RLM) is a portfolio of global health programs working towards disease elimination that is driven by the personal commitment of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, President of the United Arab Emirates. The Initiative provides treatment and preventative care in communities that lack access to quality health services, with a specific focus on reaching the last mile of disease elimination. RLM’s mission represents His Highness’s dedication to ending preventable diseases that affect the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities and helping millions of children and adults live healthy, dignified lives. For more information, visit: https://www.ReachingTheLastMile.com 

For media inquiries, please contact: Sharan Sunner | Seven Media, on behalf of Reaching the Last Mile, sharansunner@sevenmedia.ae | +971 (0)55 698 4327 

About Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) 

MBZUAI is a graduate, research university focused on artificial intelligence, computer science, and digital technologies across industrial sectors. The university aims to empower students, businesses, and governments to advance artificial intelligence as a global force for positive progress. MBZUAI offers various graduate programs designed to pursue advanced, specialized knowledge and skills in artificial intelligence, including computer vision, machine learning, and natural language processing. For more information, please visit www.mbzuai.ac.ae 

About KORIKA 

KORIKA, Collaborative Research and Industrial Innovation in AI, stands as a pioneering force in advancing the landscape of AI research, development, and innovation within Indonesia. Established in 2021, KORIKA has consistently been at the forefront of catalyzing progress in the field of artificial intelligence. Their dedication to fostering trustworthy AI systems, while respecting the rich cultural and societal values of Indonesia, aligns seamlessly with the nation's ambitious vision of becoming a global innovation powerhouse. KORIKA has become a pivotal hub, bringing together experts, researchers, and industry leaders to collectively drive the growth and application of AI technologies. For more information, please visit: https://korika.id/.  

Blogs / News / Press Releases / Uncategorized - 05/12/2025

Forecasting Healthy Futures Discusses Scaling Wolbachia Replacement Technology to Block Dengue Transmission with Oxitec CEO, Grey Frandsen

In a discussion with Forecasting Healthy Futures, Oxitec's CEO Grey Frandsen discusses the company’s latest milestone: breaking ground on the world’s largest Wolbachia mosquito facility. As part of Oxitec’s Sparks™ platform, this facility will accelerate the global scale-up of Wolbachia replacement technology, a proven, sustainable method of limiting mosquitoes’ ability to transmit dengue. 

Can you tell us about dengue and why Oxitec is working to address this issue specifically?

FRANDSEN: The world is experiencing a dengue crisis. Last year, the World Health Organization highlighted that cases were the highest on record, most likely in the hundreds of millions. Climate change is driving the spread of invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into new territories, and existing tools are failing to keep pace – innovative, climate-resilient, sustainable solutions are urgently needed, at scale, to mitigate the worsening effects of climate change on the spread of dengue.

In forging a path for new mosquito technologies to combat Aedes aegypti, Oxitec has led the way in developing and scaling good mosquitoes to fight disease-spreading mosquitoes. With two decades of innovation, pilots and regulatory approvals, we’re now scaling up two technologies to meet this growing challenge: Friendly™ mosquitoes to suppress Aedes aegypti, and Sparks™ Wolbachia mosquitoes to block dengue transmission.

Oxitec’s Friendly™ technology is highly targeted and effective in reducing biting and disease transfer of mosquitoes in urban environments, serving both public and private customers. Sparks™ Wolbachia mosquitoes will complement this solution, providing an area-wide intervention for governments.

Oxitec just announced it broke ground on the world’s largest Wolbachia mosquito facility in Brazil. Can you tell us more about the facility and why this is significant?

FRANDSEN: Oxitec already operates the world’s biggest mosquito factory, supplying Friendly™ Aedes technology – the world’s first commercially scaled mosquito-base suppression technology – to communities, businesses, schools, hospitals and other customers across Brazil seeking effective mosquito-control.

Now, we’re leveraging our proven infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and implementation systems into building Brazil’s largest Wolbachia production facility. Wolbachia is already proven to reduce dengue transmission in communities – we’re excited to be playing our part in helping make this solution available to a larger number of communities.

What makes this significant is scale. With this facility, we’ll be able to protect up to 100 million people a year from dengue—just from this one site. And we’re building it in Brazil, a country on the front line of the global dengue crisis, so we can deliver this technology to the communities that need it most, in Brazil and globally, leveraging Oxitec’s global distribution network.

What is Wolbachia Replacement Technology? Is it safe?

Wolbachia Replacement Technology – or WRT – is a natural, safe and proven method that uses mosquitoes carrying the Wolbachia bacterium to reduce the spread of dengue. When these mosquitoes are released into a community, Wolbachia spreads through the mosquito population and blocks the viruses they carry. Over time, this reduces the mosquitoes' ability to transmit disease.
It’s been tested extensively, including in a landmark trial in Indonesia that showed a 77% reduction in dengue cases and an 86% drop in hospitalizations. Regulatory bodies worldwide have reviewed it, and it’s been safely used in many countries.

What’s your hope with scaling WRT?

FRANDSEN: Ultimately, our mission is to protect one billion people from dengue. The science is there. Now the challenge is scale. That’s what the Sparks™ platform aims to achieve – taking a proven technology and building the infrastructure and partnerships to deliver it affordably, at speed, and at scale. Our aim is that, by scaling Wolbachia, we can deliver widespread, lasting impact to communities most vulnerable to dengue, helping address an urgent public health challenge.

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Blogs / News / Uncategorized - 04/10/2025

Our Take | Refreshed Goals for the Climate and Health Movement Heading into 2025

As a matter of some urgency, our loosely organized but highly engaged and growing coalition of climate and health advocates needs to know how we answer the questions: What's next? What exactly is it that we want to achieve?   

Author: Kelly Willis, Global Lead, Forecasting Healthy Futures Consortium

By now, we’ve all had a chance to absorb the outcomes of COP29 in Azerbaijan and reflect on the gains we’ve made in moving health closer to the center of climate discourse. One of the most significant gains, of course, being the establishment of the Baku COP Presidencies Continuity Coalition for Climate and Health.

As Stefan Anderson wrote for Health Policy Watch, “The coalition’s key achievement… is significant: after decades of fighting, health advocates and WHO officials will no longer have to relitigate the importance of health as a central concern in climate talks.”

Where will we now direct the time and energy we’ve been spending over “decades of fighting”, just trying to get health on the UNFCCC map?

The question reminds me of one Minister of Health Chiponda of Malawi asked a room full of delegates at this year’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, in a meeting convened by the COP28 Presidency. “What next after ‘Health Day’?” she asked, referring to last year’s milestone December 3 event in Dubai. “Is it going to be Health Week? Health Month? What exactly is it that we want to achieve?”

As a matter of some urgency, our loosely organized but highly engaged and growing coalition of climate and health advocates needs to know how we answer that question.

Of course, there is no shortage of worthy climate policy goals to pursue in the interest of global health. We’ll continue to push for integrating health in NDCs and ensuring health indices in the global goal on adaptation. We’ll work to see that health-determinant sectors also adapt and become more resilient. We’ll pursue health co-benefits by promoting mitigation in energy, transport, agriculture, food, and other sectors. We should certainly collaborate to identify further action opportunities in all of these areas.

But maybe a definitive starting point would be to establish a global goal for climate finance to support health adaptation initiatives in developing countries.

For all the disappointment around the grossly inadequate $300B target for climate financing negotiated in Baku last month, we shouldn’t lose sight of the opportunity it affords the sectors that most convincingly make a compelling investment case. I can think of few sectors where those funds could have as much impact as in public health.

How much of that $300B should be used to protect lives from the impact of climate change by addressing worsening climate-sensitive disease? How much of it should be used to build resilient health systems and protect against future impact? To fund early warning and response systems? To improve the underlying health of our most vulnerable populations?

Forecasting Healthy Futures invites more urgent dialogue around refreshed goals for the climate and health movement. It’s one of the things we hope to do in earnest at our next Global Summit, scheduled for April 8 -10 in Rio de Janeiro.

Please reach out to see how you and your organization can be involved in our planning!

Register here to participate in person or virtually at our 2025 Forecasting Healthy Futures Global Summit.

Blogs / News - 12/11/2024
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