Lead Institutions

Founding Partner
WHO, Regional Office for Europe

Affiliate Lab/Founding Partner
NYU Steinhardt
Explore the Lab's engagement at the intersection of Arts, Health, and Climate

Climate Policy
COP28 Healing Arts Week

Healing Arts Event for World Health Day
Visions and voices of a healthy planet

Arts, Health, and Climate Roundtable
UNGA Healing Arts Week 2023
Introduction
Climate change and health are two complex challenges that are closely interwoven. Statements like “the climate crisis is a health crisis” have become increasingly common in recent high-level publications and events. This research project will explore the relationship between climate change and health through the lens of artistic engagement. The project seeks to articulate how engaging in the arts can mitigate the health impacts of climate change, communicate about these impacts, and promote adaptive capacity which constitute adaptive behaviours or interventions that address the health risks posed by climate change.
Scope
The research project launched in May 2024 with the goal to produce a policy brief by April 2025. To address the research questions, the research team will complete a rapid review of the current literature that examines the intersections of arts, health, and climate. Much of the literature to date focuses on the role of the arts as a tool for awareness-raising, education, communication, and advocacy (Bentz, 2020; Klöckner & Sommer, 2021; Sommer & Klöckner, 2021). The rapid review will explore these areas alongside mitigation and adaptation strategies.
As part of the review of evidence, researchers will generate a public call for resources and artist projects on this topic to encourage diverse geographic and artistic representation.The public call will prioritize evidence that is not available in standard scholarly research, such as events, activities, gatherings, artistic products, and transdisciplinary practices to account for the different ways in which one can engage with this topic.
The research team will also conduct a survey with international experts who work at the intersections of the arts, health and climate. The survey will help to inform policy recommendations and contribute to the growing body of knowledge in this interdisciplinary field.
Insights and Deliverables
Upon analyzing the data, researchers will translate the available evidence into a policy brief. The brief is part of a larger series initiated by the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, on the role of the arts in addressing health concerns.
To further bolster the available evidence in this emerging area of research, the research team will publish a database of the resources and artistic projects that were submitted as a part of the public call for materials.
The research team will also produce scholarly manuscripts that provide greater detail about the research process, including an article on the survey methods and results.
Project Team
This project is co-led by Dr Nisha Sajnani (JA&HL, NYU Steinhardt), Dr Nils Fietje (JA&HL, WHO/Europe), and Dr Ameer Shaheed (WHO/Europe). The research team consists of members from the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, NYU Steinhardt, the Art & Climate Initiative, Community Arts Network, Dalhousie University, Harvard University, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, King’s College London, Museum for the United Nations, University of Hertfordshire, Yale University, and York University.
Funding and Support
Support for this project was provided by the Jameel Arts & Health Lab.
Categories
Research Team
Nisha Sajnani
Lead Researcher, NYU Steinhardt

Nils Fietje
Lead Researcher, WHO Europe

Ameer Shaheed
Project Lead, WHO Europe

Elisabeth Bahr
Lead Researcher, NYU Steinhardt

Tessa Brinza
Lead Researcher, NYU Steinhardt

Zoe Moula
Lead Researcher, King's College London

Samantha Munson
Lead Researcher, Yale University

Chantal Bilodeau
Arts & Climate Initiative

Ian Garrett
York University

Alida Gersie, PhD
Independent Researcher

Marla Minkoff
Yale University

Annesofie Norn
Museum for the United Nations

Kofoworola Owokotomo
NYU Steinhardt

Tarah Wright
Dalhousie University

Yuxuan Yi
New York University

Pal Honti
Community Arts Network
Marinela Natsi
King's College London