Why We Need to Approach the Climate Challenge Holistically

The global climate challenge is deeply intertwined with public health and education, with climate impacts rippling through these systems, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities and exacerbating economic inequality.

Such issues are especially urgent in Asia — a region home to three in five of the world’s population and over half of global carbon emissions.

While the interconnectedness of these challenges is what makes them so complex, it also presents incredible opportunities for us to tackle them holistically, together.

In this illustrated comic strip, we explore why embracing this approach is key to better understanding how the issues intersect and channel much-needed resources where they can create the greatest, most lasting impact. To view the comic strip as a PDF, click here.

We live in a time when multiple crises - including climate, health and education crises - are interconnected, with their causes and effects closely linked, creating larger combined impacts.

We need to pay attention to this in Asia, which faces unprecedented public health challenges, with infectious disease outbreaks and chronic lifestyle conditions more likely to occur due to climate change and rapid urbanisation. Illiteracy and gaps in education attainment are also pressing issues in this region.

Let's talk about dengue, which is an issue that requires a holistic approach. Introducing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, developing vaccines, and educating the public are methods to tackle dengue. But we also need to address climate change, as longer monsoon seasons allow Aedes mosquitoes and the virus to thrive. We need all hands on deck to combat such interconnected challenges.

While the interconnectedness of these challenges is what makes them so complex, it also presents incredible opportunities for us to tackle them holistically, together. This comic was developed with insights from the Philanthropy Asia Summit 2024 Insights Report.

This was developed with insights from the Philanthropy Asia Summit 2024 Insights Report by Temasek Trust and the Philanthropy Asia Alliance.

The comic strip is part of our explainer series about philanthropy and impact, created in partnership with The Weird and Wild. Check out another explainer, The Superpower of Philanthropy, which breaks down the ways in which philanthropy is uniquely placed as a key to unlock financing for impact.

Stay tuned for more from this series. For the latest updates on Temasek Trust and our ecosystem, follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Why We Need to Approach the Climate Challenge Holistically

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