Climate change and public health: Governance approaches and challenges in Lithuania

Human-induced climate change is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest threats to public health globally. The intersection of climate change impacts on public health and the governance of these risks remains a critical area of research. While there is a large body of work analysing both the public health risks and climate change governance, there is a lack of research on the governance of such risks in the specific region of northern Europe, which is characterized by relatively lower yet growing climate change susceptibility. This article presents a case study exploring the approaches to governance of climate change-induced risks to public health in Lithuania. In the studied case, climate change-induced risks to public health range from extreme heat events to infectious diseases. The analysis follows an integrated conceptual model based on the risk governance framework, the drivers-pressures-state-impact-response framework and health-in-all-policies approach. The analysis is based on literature review and document analysis. The results have revealed fragmented governance of climate change-induced public health risks in Lithuania, highlighting the need for integrated health and climate policies, stronger international engagement, enhanced intra- and cross- sectoral cooperation and improved monitoring. To ensure better preparedness and resilience to climate change-induced public health risks, more research is needed, especially exploring intra- and cross- sectorial collaboration, responses from diverseision-makers and reduction of health inequities. The analysis identified inadequate integration of health considerations into climate change governance strategies and insufficient stakeholder engagement across sectors. It also shows that Lithuania's current governance framework lacks robust mechanisms for addressing health inequities exacerbated by climate change, and highlights a need for targeted interventions to enhance resilience and equity.