Digital technologies for climate-related health education, behavior and risk reduction: a systematic scoping review

Digital technologies improve health outcomes, access to education and health care. However, their application in the context of climate change is limited. This scoping review aimed to identify the use of digital technologies for climate-related health education, behavior change and health risk reduction in a rapidly changing climate. After screening 20,342 titles, 24 studies published between 2012 and 2025, with 18,749 participants (~54% female), were included in the analysis. Digital technology was used to improve health education (n = 11 studies) health outcomes (n = 9 studies) or health behavior (n = 6 studies). Common climate change topics focused on general climate change (n = 6), heatwaves (n = 4), and earthquakes (n = 3). Commonly used technologies were virtual reality (n = 9), smartphone applications (n = 7) and online platforms (n = 4). While this field is still nascent, there is a clear opportunity to utilize digital technology to reduce the negative health impacts of climate change, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary research and co-designed technologies.