Climate-related disease registry in Lebanon: a proposed roadmap

Climate change poses urgent health risks in the Arab region, yet most countries lack integrated systems to monitor climate-sensitive health outcomes. Lebanon, facing extreme climatic variability, widespread air pollution, and fragile health infrastructure, has no centralized mechanism to link environmental and health data. However, the capacity of existing surveillance systems to capture and integrate climate-sensitive health risks remains poorly understood.

This study aims to develop a national climate-related disease registry framework for Lebanon by synthesizing evidence from global and regional surveillance models and convening national stakeholders to identify priorities and implementation pathways for institutional integration within Lebanon's health and environmental systems.

A desk review was conducted to examine climate-sensitive health risks, structured around the WHO-UNFCCC's classification of climate-related health risks, and to analyze existing global registries and surveillance platforms. In parallel, a national multi-sectoral consultation was held with representatives from government, academia, healthcare providers, and international organizations. Outputs were thematically synthesized to propose a registry framework and phased roadmap.

The desk review revealed that while climate-sensitive outcomes are partially captured across disease-specific systems, key domains, including non-communicable diseases, mental health, and extreme weather-related outcomes, remain structurally excluded from integrated monitoring. Stakeholders identified interoperability barriers rooted not only in technical limitations but also in governance structures, institutional mandates, and legislative constraints. Concomitantly, existing digital infrastructure and epidemiological platforms were recognized as potential anchors for phased integration. The proposed framework outlines short-, medium-, and long-term actions to establish an interoperable climate-health registry.

These findings highlight both the structural gaps and institutional opportunities and provide a phased roadmap for advancing an integrated national climate-health registry. By aligning stakeholders around a unified framework, the study lays the groundwork for evidence-based adaptation strategies in Lebanon and other climate-vulnerable settings.