332 Unpacking the nexus of climate change, migration, and health in the Philippines

Abstract EP1.2, e-Poster Terminal 1, September 3, 2025, 13:05 - 13:55 There is growing interest in the intersection between climate change, migration, and health. Climate change increases disease burden, disrupts health systems, and widens health inequalities. Climate change is anticipated to drive movement of populations, within and across national borders (climate-induced migrants). Climate change disproportionally affects the marginalized in society – including migrants who moved due to other reasons (climate-affected migrants), their health jeopardized by climate exposures. This paper unpacks the climate-migration-health nexus using the Philippines as case study. Often ranked the world’s most climate-vulnerable country, the Philippines has long history of international labor migration, and has experienced internal displacements due to extreme weather events and armed conflict. This paper examines the nexus as it unfolds within and across national borders, using the migration cycle as a framework for mapping health needs among climate-induced and climate-affected migrants. Climate-induced internal displacement will render communities unable to access essential healthcare, requiring external support to address health service disruptions. Without effective humanitarian response, such displacement can produce outbreaks of climate-sensitive infectious diseases. Better surveillance and disease prevention and control measures are vital. Internal displacement due to slow-onset events such as sea level rise is beginning to be observed, but more robust documentation is needed to inform health planning. Similarly, trapped or immobile populations need to be identified, as climate hazards will exacerbate their vulnerability to climate-related diseases. In terms of international migration, exposure of overseas Filipino workers to climate hazards is yet to be characterized, and the likelihood of climate-induced cross-border movement of people in and out of the Philippines to be observed. As the climate crisis progresses, more research is required to elucidate the climate-migration-health nexus. This challenge is a new arena for inquiry and action, requiring transdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration – through engagement between migration scholars, public health professionals, and climate scientists.