Associated organisationsAfrican Institute for Development Policy · African Population & Health Research Centre, Kenya · IND Max Callaghan 106069 · London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research · University of Wisconsin-MadisonEurope PMC affiliations are not treated as award recipients or mapped locations.
Funding£3.6M
PeriodSept 2023 — Feb 2026
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
The Pathfinder Initiative is building a global coalition to turn climate science into real-world actions that also improve human health, using machine learning to map the best available evidence. This matters because climate mitigation policies—like shifting to clean energy or sustainable food systems—often have immediate health benefits, such as cleaner air and better diets. But decision-makers lack accessible, context-specific evidence on which actions deliver the biggest health gains, and how to monitor their impact. The first phase of Pathfinder identified the most promising sectors; this second phase tackles the gap between knowing and doing. If successful, the project will produce a living evidence map—a continuously updated, machine-readable resource that governments, health agencies, and NGOs can use to design and evaluate climate policies. A coalition of research and implementation partners will test these actions in real settings, while a global community of practice shares tools and knowledge. The ultimate change is not a single technology but a system: faster, more equitable climate action that measurably improves public health worldwide, guided by an expert panel including major multilateral organisations.
View original technical description
Pathfinder 2 aims to catalyse and support successful action on climate mitigation with a focus on measured co-benefits for health. The first phase of the Pathfinder Initiative synthesised evidence on actions with the largest potential co-benefits, including energy, transport and agriculture/ food sectors. The second phase of the project will focus on three key areas where progress is needed: evidence for action, monitoring and evaluating progress; and capacity strengthening. First, machine learning techniques will be used to bring together relevant evidence and make it accessible to actors using a living evidence map. Second, a Coalition of research, enabling and implementing partners will be set up to galvanise the implementation of informed actions and their evaluation. Third, a community of practice will be brought together for sharing of knowledge and tools. The key goals of the project are to identify and deliver context-specific evidence on health co- benefits, and to strengthen global capacity to implement and evaluate climate mitigation actions that will promote human health. Building on the successful Lancet Commission brought together for the first phase of Pathfinder, this work will be guided by a panel of experts from across disciplines and global regions, with major multilateral organisations represented.
Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.
Is something wrong? Let us know