Is There a Link between Population, Health and Environment (PHE) and Climate Change Adaptation?

Jason Bremner, Population Reference Bureau (PRB)
Karen Hardee, Futures Group International
Kathleen Mogelgaard, Population Action International
Heather D'Agnes, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

Climate change (CC) is upon us with increasingly frequent floods, droughts, extreme weather events, and changes in temperature. Households and communities that rely directly on local natural resources for their food and livelihoods are most affected. Community-based approaches to adaptation (CBA) seek to enable these households to effectively plan for and cope with changes in water availability, agricultural production, and extreme weather events linked to changing temperatures and precipitation. While Population, Health and Environment (PHE) projects have not been designed to respond to CC specifically, might they have lessons to offer CBA approaches to adaptation? This paper explores theoretical links between population and climate change adaptation and whether population should be addressed through community-based adaptation approaches. The paper also looks at similarities and potential links between PHE efforts and current approaches to CBA. The paper concludes that stronger connections between PHE experiences and emerging practices for CBA would benefit both.