Climate breakdown is threatening people’s lives and livelihoods and increasing global inequalities. Learn how climate change affects our work in Africa and Asia, and what we’re doing to take action.

Mosquitoes have started to migrate from rural to urban areas as result of climate change, putting new communities at risk from infectious diseases.

Climate change disproportionately affects people in low and middle income countries. Without urgent action, it threatens to deepen existing inequalities worldwide.

Some of the world’s most marginalised people, who are least responsible for driving climate change, are at greatest risk, including women, girls and people with disabilities. Many of the countries where we work are on the frontline of the crisis, such as Bangladesh, Nigeria and Pakistan.

Rural communities and people living in poverty are often the least able to prepare for climate breakdown because they have limited access to essential resources, health care and government support.

Extreme weather conditions are already endangering people’s lives and livelihoods. As climate change accelerates, more people are being pushed into poverty as they struggle to recover and rebuild after environmental disasters.

How climate change affects our work

An eye doctor examines the eyes of a mother who is carrying her child on her back.

Eye health

Rates of visual impairment and blindness are expected to increase as environmental changes affect people’s eye health and their ability to access essential eye care.

A community drug distributor hands an elderly man medication to treat trachoma.

Infectious diseases

Climate change is affecting the transmission of diseases and people’s access to services. Neglected tropical diseases that have previously been eliminated could even re-emerge.

A group of smiling women in Nigeria hold posters and leaflets about family planning.

Disability and inclusion

Marginalised people who already face discrimination risk being left even further behind if they’re not consulted or represented in disaster plans or climate action.

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What we’re doing

Without global commitments to tackle climate change, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) won’t be met, and progress could even be reversed.

At Sightsavers, we’re implementing climate considerations throughout our organisation and programmes, particularly focusing on how climate change affects health and disability inclusion.

We are supporting governments to develop sustainable, inclusive health systems that protect people from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and treat and prevent eye conditions that can cause sight loss
We are helping to reduce poverty and inequality through our health and inclusion programmes in Africa and Asia, contributing to the achievement of the SDGs
We are working with organisations of people with disabilities to ensure people with disabilities are included in decision-making processes and can access support and inclusive guidance around environmental disasters
We are helping to make education and employment more inclusive and resilient to prepare for climate climate, so everyone has the opportunity to claim their rights and learn, earn and thrive
We are researching the impact of climate breakdown on NTDs, and use technology to develop new ways to track, treat and manage infectious diseases
We are prioritising adaptations to make our work more resilient to the negative effects of climate change

More about our climate work

A child in Kenya has his eyes checked by an eye health worker wearing gloves and a mask. They're outside in a village with dusty red sand on the ground.

News / Fighting disease /

The funding will be used for programmes that protect people from the harmful effects of trachoma, river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis and intestinal worms.

December 2023

A boy wearing a bright blue shirt washes his face using water from a tap.

News / Fighting disease /

Sightsavers and the Walker Institute will work with Malawi’s government to explore how climate affects diseases.

November 2023

Blogs / Disability and inclusion /

As learners with disabilities are disproportionately affected by global crises such as climate change, we're urging governments to build more resilient education systems for everyone.

Mariana Rudge, September 2023

Two women stand in a flooded area outside a house, where they are checking a mosquito trap.

Stories / Fighting disease /

To tackle disease, we need to know who is affected. In Liberia, Sightsavers has studied mosquitoes and tested children to see how urban migration affects the spread of lymphatic filariasis.

A large group of people stand on the main stage at the World Water Forum.

Blogs / Fighting disease /

Sightsavers’ Salimata Bocoum shares learnings, actions and reflections from the World Water Forum, where the importance of working together to fight neglected tropical diseases was a key theme.

Salimata Bocoum, April 2022

A man stands in a fast-flowing river examining foliage for black flies.

News / Fighting disease /

Sightsavers and the Walker Institute will explore different climate change scenarios to predict areas that will be most affected by neglected tropical diseases in the future.

March 2022

Protecting sight, fighting disease and promoting equality for all

We protect sight, fight disease and make sure everyone can claim their rights.

Find out how your support can make a huge difference and change lives.

Sightsavers and climate change