Climate Change and Health Inequities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Climate change presents significant public health challenges, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the burden of climate-sensitive health outcomes is most pronounced. These regions face higher exposure to environmental hazards and often lack the resources to effectively adapt. Structural inequalities compound these vulnerabilities, creating barriers to health access and amplifying the impacts of climate events. Recent studies highlight the necessity of integrating social determinants into climate health research, revealing critical gaps in how these factors influence health outcomes and resilience.

With the intensification of climate-related hazards such as heatwaves, wildfires, floods, droughts, and the expansion of vector-borne diseases, the need for equity-focused research has never been more urgent. LMICs, which contribute least to global greenhouse gas emissions, disproportionately bear these health risks. Addressing such inequities is vital for advancing global agendas including the Sustainable Development Goals and the World Health Organization’s call for climate-resilient health systems.

This Research Topic aims to illuminate the intersections between climate change, environmental health, and inequality in LMICs. The primary goal is to explore how socio-economic and structural determinants, alongside geospatial and temporal disparities, shape health outcomes. It seeks to deepen the understanding of inequities in exposure and access to care, emphasizing the need for locally tailored adaptation strategies that are both feasible and cost-effective. Particular attention will be directed towards vulnerable populations—such as children, women, the elderly, and marginalized communities—who face the direst climate-related health risks.

We welcome a wide range of contributions, including quantitative epidemiological studies, geospatial and temporal analyses, modelling approaches, qualitative and mixed-methods research, systematic reviews, and policy evaluations. By drawing on diverse methodologies, this Research Topic seeks to generate actionable insights that strengthen adaptation strategies, inform governance, and guide equitable policy development.

Focusing on the scope of this Research Topic, we aim to unravel the multifaceted dimensions of climate-health impacts in LMICs. Below is a list of core themes:

o Geospatial and Temporal Variations

o Structural and Social Inequities

o Climate-Sensitive Health Outcomes

o Adaptation and Resilience Strategies

o Policy Governance and Implementation Challenges

o Methodological Innovations in Environmental Epidemiology

o Urbanization, Informal Settlements, and Health

o Climate Justice and Policy Responses

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Climate Change, Health, Epidemiology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.