Climate emergency

Extreme weather is already impacting malnutrition in some of the places where MSF works. A lack of water caused by drought drastically affects access to food, as the land cannot sustain livestock and plants people rely on as food sources. Too much water also disrupts the food supply. Floods bring pests and diseases that damage crops, while heavy rains can destroy entire harvests. Rising sea levels that bring saltwater to coastal areas also pose a threat to agriculture. 

Climate change will continue to affect food production systems for the most vulnerable people, increasing malnutrition rates and causing it to spread to areas previously unaffected. MSF responds to malnutrition by screening proactively in communities, conducting nutritional assessments, and running prevention projects, including the distribution of nutritional supplements and ready-to-use therapeutic food. 

Climate change has lengthened or intensified rainy seasons in many parts of the world. This creates ideal conditions for the spread of malaria, a parasitic disease caused by mosquitoes, which breed in standing water.

Hundreds of thousands of people die from malaria each year, most of them children in Africa. This staggering loss of life is preventable and treatable. MSF treated over 3.7 million people for malaria in 2023 alone.

MSF treats malaria in some of the most hard-to-reach, under-resourced places in the world. We focus on preventing the spread of the disease through spraying homes with long-lasting insecticides and antimalarial drugs.

When extreme weather events hit, it can lead to the spread of deadly diseases like cholera, which spreads through contaminated food and water supplies.

Cholera is a highly contagious disease that thrives in crowded, unsanitary settings without clean water—especially in poor, remote villages or refugee camps. Without treatment, it can quickly lead to death by intense dehydration due to extreme diarrhea and vomiting.

In a given year, MSF treats tens of thousands of patients for cholera. We also run vaccination campaigns in hotspots when there is an outbreak and build water and sanitation systems to ensure people can access safe drinking water and hygiene.

Natural disasters often damage water and sanitation infrastructure, leaving communities without access to clean water and sanitation. This is a major contributing factor to the spread of infectious diseases in many parts of the world, particularly low-income and conflict-affected areas. Without safe drinking water and sanitation, people are forced to use untreated water sources that are often contaminated, causing the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera and hepatitis A.

Without proper waste management, diarrheal diseases can also spread quickly due to contamination. These diseases are a leading cause of death among children under five.

MSF is dedicated to addressing critical gaps in sanitation infrastructure in order to prevent the spread of infectious disease, especially in crisis situations.

As extreme weather leaves some places uninhabitable, people are being driven from their homes. Millions of people are already on the move, and climate change will likely exacerbate the conditions that push mass displacement.

MSF teams witness firsthand how forced displacement contributes to the spread of disease. Camps for refugees and other displaced people are often crowded, with unsanitary conditions and lack of access to clean water or medical care. This provides fertile ground for the spread of infectious diseases, including cholera, measles, and tuberculosis. Displaced people are also vulnerable to malnutrition, which makes them more susceptible to contracting infections due to a weakened immune system.

MSF is committed to addressing the urgent health needs of displaced families and to provide them with comprehensive medical care, treatment, and vaccinations.

Resources like water and land can become cause for conflict where they are scarce or inaccessible. Competition over resources and the inability of authorities to negotiate agreements on land access have led to escalating conflict in regions where MSF teams work. Many people are often forced to flee their homes due to the violence and instability resulting from these disputes over resources.

MSF teams are providing medical aid to people affected by climate change, environmental degradation, and conflict. We don’t take sides in conflict zones. Remaining neutral allows us to put people’s medical and humanitarian needs first.

MSF has pledged to cut our own carbon emissions in half by 2030.

We recognize our contribution to global carbon emissions and human-caused environmental disruption. MSF’s international bodies have adopted an Environmental Pact to pledge action to improve our record.

To support greater climate action across the humanitarian sector at large, we’ve also formally signed on to the Climate and Environment Charter, an initiative led by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

We are working to ensure an efficient and socially responsible supply chain. That means stepping up efforts to reduce medical waste, reuse products where appropriate, and recycle medical materials and equipment.

For example, in Uganda, we have launched a project to replace millions of plastic bags used each year to distribute medicines. Instead, we are switching to ecologically sustainable bags using local resources made by local communities.

We are developing renewable energy solutions, such as using solar panels to power some of our medical activities.

In Pakistan, we installed solar panel systems at the facilities we support in Balochistan province. Supplemented by grid or generator electricity, these systems provide uninterrupted power for lighting, air conditioning, fans, and water pumping and cooling. In remote areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, three MSF-supported hospitals use solar energy.

MSF’s experience demonstrates that it’s possible to shift to more environmentally responsible practices, even in remote places with limited infrastructure. By doing so, we can cut tons of CO2 emissions annually.

We are making efforts to limit our international travel by air, including by holding virtual meetings, trainings, and workshops. We are also sourcing medical supplies closer to the places where we work. These changes were partly accelerated due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on staff travel and international freight transport.