Framing climate change as a health crisis is twice as effective at shifting public attitudes and building support for climate action than traditional environmental messaging, according to a new international study.
The research, conducted by the Climate Opinion Research Exchange (Core) for the Wellcome Trust, found that South Africans were particularly concerned about the impact on children, food and water security and maternal health.
The study surveyed more than 30 000 people across Brazil, India, Japan and South Africa between September and October 2025. It used a randomised controlled trial to test 12 climate-health messages against four traditional climate messages.
It found that public concern about climate change and support for government action increased twice as often when people were informed about its health impacts, compared with general environmental messaging.
“A large majority of the public, over 80%, are concerned about climate change across the four countries and around three-quarters or more know that it is harming people’s health,” it stated.
“The public are keen for governments to do more on climate change and view taking action to prevent climate from harming public health as particularly urgent. Large majorities also support the vast majority of climate policies that the study asked about.”
Across the four countries, certain health themes consistently shaped opinion. Messages on extreme heat, food and water insecurity and children’s health had the strongest and most consistent influence.
Regional responses varied. In South Africa, concern was driven most strongly by the impact on children, as well as food and water security and maternal health. In Brazil, mental health impacts and food and water insecurity resonated most strongly, while in India, air pollution and access to healthcare drove concern.
In Japan, respondents were most affected by messaging on extreme heat, air pollution, infectious diseases and risks to older people.
Climate concern in South Africa was high. Overall, 87% of respondents said they were concerned about climate change, including 60% who were “very concerned”.
Four in five South Africans recognised that climate change was harming people’s health, while 85% believed the government should do more to address the crisis — the highest level of support among the countries surveyed.
Most respondents supported a range of climate policies linked to health protection. All the policies tested received support from at least 58% of respondents.
In South Africa, the most popular measure was building more solar parks or solar farms, supported by 94% of respondents. This was followed by investment in public buildings that could be used during heatwaves and extreme weather events (92%), as well as expanding offshore wind (87%) and onshore wind (85%).
Climate-linked extreme weather continues to affect communities across the country, including droughts, floods and heatwaves that have disrupted healthcare services, water systems and food supplies.
Professor Ashraf Coovadia, the head of paediatrics and child health at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital, said African children faced disproportionate risks from accelerating climate change.
“Climate change in South Africa already means more extreme weather events — from severe droughts to floods — and these events disrupt water and sanitation systems, exposing children to diarrhoea,” Coovadia said.
He added that flooding damaged health facilities and increased waterborne diseases such as cholera and gastroenteritis, while droughts worsened food insecurity and contributed to rising rates of child stunting.
The study concludes that health impacts are a key driver of public concern and that framing climate change in these terms significantly increases support for government action.
Lead researcher Dustin Gilbreath, a senior analyst at Core, said: “The data is clear — when the public finds out how the climate is harming our health, they want the government to do more. The data shows most of the public are already concerned about climate change and believe the government should take urgent action to prevent climate change from harming public health.”
The report has been released before the upcoming World Health Assembly and amid growing global focus on climate-health links following initiatives at COP30, including the Belém Health Action Plan and the Climate Health Funders Coalition.
New research shows that health-based climate messaging significantly increases public support for government action, especially in South Africa where concern over children and food security is high
