Using participatory approaches in climate and health education: A case report from rural India

ABSTRACT
Introduction: Climate change has been called a ‘Planetary Health Emergency’. Climate-induced health impacts
are universal, but their expressions may be localized depending upon local determinants, necessitating the
need for contextually grounded health adaptation actions. Community engagement is central to multi sectoral climate and health actions. Communities need to be informed, educated, involved, and empowered to identify unique pathways through which climate change impacts health locally. The use of participatory approaches is recommended over top-down ones.
Case presentation: The present case study describes the experience of using a participatory approach to
involve local rural communities in India, generating evidence towards climate health policies and implementation. A total of 30 participatory dialogues were carried out, interacting with approximately 374 individuals
in 9 village communities from Bhor Block of Pune district in western India.