Examining the health impact of the climate crisis

The A$10 million call for an interdisciplinary network aiming to boost Australian research capacity

After the nightmare of the 2019-20 bushfire season, no one in Australia needs reminding of the link between the changing environment and threats to human health. In November, the National Health and Medical Research Council opened a call for a A$10 million special initiative on the topic, which will fund a single, multidisciplinary network across the country for five years.

The NHMRC says that between 2000 and 2018 it invested only around twice that amount in research on the health implications of environmental change and has received a low number of applications in recent years. The funding boost aims to build research capacity and improve Australia’s ability to respond to health threats posed by changing environmental conditions and extreme weather events.