Pathfinder Initiative launches AI-powered map of climate and health evidence

Evidence on climate change and its implications for human health is growing rapidly. As a result, there is an urgent need to find new ways to transform a large and fragmented evidence base into clear, robust knowledge that can inform policy, practice, and future research. 

The Pathfinder Initiative living evidence map addresses this need by bringing together existing evidence on climate change and health, using machine-learning methods to gather data automatically at scale. The innovative tool was developed by researchers at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact (PIK) and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) as part of the Pathfinder Initiative research programme. 

Dr Jan Minx, Head of the Evidence for Climate Solutions Working Group at PIK and part of the Pathfinder Initiative research team, said: “The Pathfinder Initiative living evidence map is an innovative, AI-powered tool designed to speed up evidence synthesis at a pace that meets the urgency of the climate and health crisis. Researchers, decision-makers, practitioner and funders can use the map to find evidence on what works for climate and health, identify critical evidence gaps and deliver real-world impact.”

The living evidence map, published on the Climate Literature Hub platform, brings together over 60,000 studies across six regions published between 1990 and the present, with the potential to gather many more over time. The resource will enable researchers, policymakers, funders and other evidence users to analyse and use evidence more efficiently, as well as identify evidence gaps to guide future research. 

Dr Max Callaghan, researcher in the Evidence for Climate Solutions Working Group at PIK and part of the Pathfinder Initiative research team, said: “Evidence is often outdated when it reaches policymakers due to lengthy publication cycles. This map addresses the disconnect between the need for and the delivery of evidence by leveraging AI to provide constantly updated high-quality systematic maps and reviews.” 

He added: “The tool could also help to improve equity in research and climate action by highlighting data gaps that need to be addressed. For example, while over 80% of the world’s population live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the living evidence map shows that only just over half of the climate and health literature mentions LMICs.”

The evidence map allows users to filter studies by category (mitigation, adaptation, impact), health exposure (such as drought, emissions, flooding, heat), health impact (e.g. all-cause mortality, chronic disease, food and nutrition), intervention option (e.g. mitigation and co-benefits, community resilience), mediating pathways (e.g. demographic or social vulnerability, geographic exposure), methods, and continent. Users can also search by author affiliation. A full user guide is available on the living evidence map platform.

The tool will be a vital resource for researchers working on climate and health, and complements wider resources developed by the Pathfinder Initiative team including the Guidance for Health Effects of Mitigation Modelling Studies (GHEMMS) checklist and guidance for evaluating implemented climate and health interventions. Initiatives such as the Wellcome Trust-funded DESTINY (Digital Evidence Synthesis Tool INnovation for Yielding Improvements in Climate & Health) consortium and the METIUS (Mobilising Evidence Through AI and User-informed Synthesis) project funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), are already integrating the tool into their research programmes to accelerate evidence synthesis and produce timely, policy relevant insights and toolkits. 

The resource can also be used to contribute to the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), currently in its seventh assessment cycle with reports due to be published between 2027 and 2029, including a special report on climate change and cities. 

The tool provides easy access for decision-makers to find up-to-date evidence on different topics to inform strategic planning. Funders can quickly gain an overview of the existing evidence base and identify critical gaps. For example, at a glance users can see where evidence is concentrated and which topics are highly prevalent in specific regions (compared to the global average). 

Dr Hugh Sharma Waddington, Associate Professor at LSHTM and part of the Pathfinder Initiative, DESTINY and METIUS research teams, said: “The Pathfinder Initiative map provides a starting point for evidence-informed decision-making in climate and health. We are using the repository to identify topics where context-specific evidence is needed, such as on the impacts of ULEZ schemes, and where reviews can add value by identifying what findings are more generalisable across contexts – for example, what works for sustainable healthy cities. We’re also developing further associated AI-informed tools to provide evidence at the right time to policymakers and practitioners to improve lives.” 

Explore the evidence map