Vital Strategies is an international organisation of researchers, experts and strategy specialists, working with governments and civil society actors to tackle the most complex public health problems.
We design and implement targeted, evidence-based programmes in areas like tobacco control, overdose prevention, air pollution, lead poisoning, road safety and obesity in countries around the world. Our team is made up of over 37 nationalities, which is essential in our approach to building local partnerships with policy makers, public officials, administrators, media and civil society organisations. Vital Strategies has 6 offices around the world in order to have a global impact through a deep understanding of local and regional contexts.
Vital Strategies Europe is an endowment fund that was created in Paris in 2017 for charitable, scientific and educational purposes: development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of prevention programmes to improve public health, in particular in the most disadvantaged countries, based on the development of broad partnerships and fundraising. The endowment fund is both a collector and a redistributor of funds and implements technical assistance programmes for national and local authorities in collaboration with local governmental and non-governmental organisations, particularly in the following areas: impact of climate change on health, road safety and the prevention of non-communicable diseases.
Health & Climate: a priority for Vital Strategies Europe
To survive and thrive as humans, we need a healthy planet. Without urgent action, the climate crisis threatens to reverse decades of progress in global health.
More than 90% of the world’s population breathes polluted air and air pollution contributes to climate disruption. There is an urgent need to design and act on both the climate and health fronts to manage current impacts, but more importantly to reduce, anticipate and prepare for future impacts.
Air pollution affects virtually every organ in the body. It is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than seven million people die prematurely each year as a result of exposure to air pollution, and most of these deaths are preventable.
Working closely with Vital Strategies’ Environmental Health Division in the United States, the Europe Office is developing partnerships in France and Europe to increase its action and impact on climate and health, with a particular focus on reducing air pollution.
Rising Tides, but Missing the Boat
Climate mitigation approaches have historically focused on measures to reduce carbon emissions to avoid their long-term impacts. However, this narrow focus fails to recognize the immediate benefit of certain other climate actions with short-term benefits, such as efforts to improve air quality. This limited focus on only long-term impact inadvertently slows global efforts to improve public health. This report from our Environmental Health division evaluates the extent of these missed opportunities to address social vulnerability, air pollution and health through climate action.
Download: Rising Tides, but missing the boat
French Coalition of Foundations for Climate (CFFC)
Vital Strategies joined the French Centre for Funds and Foundations (CFF) and its partners to launch the French Coalition of Foundations for Climate (CFFC) in late 2020. Vital Strategies is honoured to work alongside France’s leading climate action funds and foundations: The Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation, the Fondation de France, the EDF Group Foundation, the Chanel Foundation, the Decitre Fund and Philanthropy Europe (Philea). Together, we call on the philanthropic sector in France to act quickly and decisively on climate issues.
Objectives of the coalition
The aim of the Coalition is to mobilise the philanthropic network in France around issues related to climate change and to support funds and foundations both in raising awareness of the issues and in implementing strategies.
The coalition aims to ensure that each foundation or fund:
- becomes aware of its negative impacts on the climate, and commits to reducing them
- focuses on investments that help reduce CO2 emissions
- allocates additional resources to programmes and/or projects that take into account the fight against climate change, either individually or collectively
- encourages the project leaders it supports to apply a climate lens to their work
- integrates a climate prism into its own action plans.
As a founding member of the coalition, Vital Strategies offers its technical expertise on health issues, particularly air pollution, which according to the WHO is responsible for at least 7 million premature deaths each year. We also endeavour to ensure that health is at the heart of the coalition’s work on climate and promote the development of indicators to measure the health impact for different sectors (financial, energy, etc.).
Sign the Climate Manifest
The first concrete action a foundation or fund can take is to sign the Climate Manifesto – click here to sign.
Vital Strategies’ vision is a world where everyone is protected by equitable and effective public health systems.
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Contact Us
paris@vitalstrategies.org
9 rue Charlot, 75003, Paris, France