“Facing the Climate Crisis: Kiribati’s Resilient Stand – Insights from the Devpolicy Blog”

When you think of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), you often picture teams rushing to areas hit by war or disease. But their mission is growing, especially as climate change impacts health on a global scale. One of the places where this change is evident is in Kiribati, a small island nation in the Pacific. Here, health issues are worsening due to climate vulnerability.

Kiribati faces serious challenges like rising sea levels, food shortages, and unsafe drinking water. These problems aren’t just looming threats; they are happening right now, affecting how people live. In early 2024, MSF teamed up with the Kiribati Ministry of Health to create a new project. This initiative aims to look at health impacts caused by changing environments, starting from a climate emergency perspective.

The project launched in October 2024 on Abaiang, one of Kiribati’s northern atolls. The goal? To learn about how environmental changes affect health in remote communities.

A major focus of this project is on women of childbearing age. MSF is screening for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and hypertension, which are significant issues here. Shifting diets and food shortages contribute to these health problems. Initial screening results show that rates of these conditions are higher than in similar populations in Australia and New Zealand.

MSF doesn’t stop at diagnosis. They follow women through pregnancy and into early childhood care, creating a long-term dataset. This information helps understand how climate factors impact health over time. With environmental pressures increasing, tracking these health trends is essential.

Water issues are also a concern. Salty water is contaminating underground sources, making clean drinking water hard to find. MSF found that several wells in Abaiang are contaminated, showing the vulnerability of local water systems.

To tackle this, MSF plans to clean up contaminated wells, especially near clinics and schools. They’ll cover open wells, improve drainage, and run hygiene campaigns. These low-cost measures can significantly cut down on waterborne diseases. They’re also introducing rainwater harvesting systems to create a more reliable water source.

But water isn’t the only problem. MSF is also working on better healthcare waste management, which is crucial in fragile environments. Simple actions like proper waste segregation can reduce pollution and protect local water and marine life.

In practice, addressing climate change means recognizing the links between health, human actions, and the environment. In Abaiang, home to around 6,000 people, MSF’s approach allows for community-wide evaluation and tracking. This could serve as a model for other small island nations facing similar challenges.

The initiative is expanding to a second location, showing promise for further development. With guidance from Kiribati’s health ministry, MSF is shedding light on the connection between climate change and health, potentially guiding future responses in other nations.

While Pacific Island nations face significant threats from rising seas, immediate health concerns like contaminated water and rising NCDs are urgent. These challenges may develop slowly, but they can be tackled with the right measures.

What MSF learns from Kiribati could help create solutions for similar regions across the Pacific and beyond, ensuring health systems can adapt alongside our changing climate.



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Climate change,Climate resilience,Health,Kiribati,Maternal health,Non-communicable diseases (NCDs),Pacific