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

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 multisectoral 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.

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.

Three lessons emerged from qualitative data analysis - a) Tailoring participatory approaches is important. Approaches like pictorial stories, causal loop diagrams, listing and ranking, timeline, and action-oriented dialogues were customized for climate and health discourse and action; b) The participatory approaches offer ample opportunities and advantages such as their appealing value, ability to unfold contextual vulnerability, and actionable insights for adaptation. c) The barriers a social system poses to the participatory approach cannot be overlooked.

Participatory approaches can build peoples' abilities for critical analysis of situations and problem-solving about climate change and can enhance local community engagement. More research is needed in this area to facilitate education about climate change and health.