Healthcare governance and climate change adaptation: A pharmaceutical industry perspective

Abstract

The 4th assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes that 'the global burden of disease and premature deaths' are somewhat contributed by climate change (IPCC, Introduction to the working group II - fourth assessment report. In: Parry ML, Canziani OF, Palutikof JP, van der Linden PJ, Hanson CE (eds) Climate change 2007: impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 1-6, 2007). The extant literature and scientific evidence on climate change and public health also suggest that climate change could create one of the biggest challenges to public health and its future governance. This does not only have profound impact on public sector health services but also poses significant threats to private sector health service providers. One of the private sector establishments that tend to become directly affected by climate change is the pharmaceutical industry. Given the scenario of uncertainty and risk associated with climate change, this industry appears to be in a unique albeit intricate situation as it faces both risks and opportunities as a consequence of climate change. As climate change adaptation entails both risk aversion and opportunity utilisation, it may, therefore, be considered useful to study the pharmaceutical industry in relation to its exposure to climate change and subsequent adaptation measures. Given the paramount importance of climate change adaptation by the pharmaceutical industry and its social and environmental implications, the issue of governance becomes an indispensible part of any such study. Following a scrutiny of the extant literature and recent scientific evidence on climate change, this chapter aims to present climate change adaptation strategies adopted by the pharmaceutical industry. The role of government in managing or moderating these strategies is also considered.