Mitigating climate health risks through innovation at Davos 2025
Introduction
At the midpoint of the 2025 World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Mercer and Oliver Wyman hosted an early morning session titled “Mitigating Climate-Driven Health Risks Through Innovation”. The event convened global leaders and experts to discuss the profound health and economic challenges posed by climate change and to explore innovative strategies for adaptation.
Venues like Davos stand out as invaluable spaces where global leaders can bridge diverse areas of expertise, turning shared challenges into actionable solutions.
Setting the Stage: Understanding the Climate-Health Nexus
Pat Tomlinson, CEO of Mercer, opened the session by highlighting the critical intersection of climate and health, noting that natural disasters are a growing concern for HR and risk professionals.
Furthermore, the impact of climate change on employee health is already clear. 77% of employees globally say that they have experienced climate-related financial or health impacts, according to Mercer Marsh Benefits’ forthcoming Health on Demand research.
Dr. Oliver Eitelwein of Oliver Wyman punctuated the risks of inaction with findings from the newly launched report, Healthcare in a Changing Climate: Investing in Resilient Solutions. The report projects that climate-related health crises could lead to $12.5 trillion in global economic losses by 2050. However, the report suggests that strategic investments could prevent six million deaths and significantly reduce economic losses. Eitelwein stressed the necessity of incentivizing long-term investments and fostering innovation to transition from a reactive to proactive mindset.
These insights contextualized the importance of exploring solutions that organizations can adopt today, rather than wait for the crises of tomorrow.
Framing the Issue
Rt. Hon. Helen Clark’s keynote address, facilitated by Terry Stone of Oliver Wyman, reiterated the urgent need for proactive measures to tackle the existing health impacts of climate change.
Drawing on her extensive leadership experience, Clark emphasized the importance of framing climate risks at the level of individual health, rather than an abstract, stating "This isn't just something affecting someone somewhere else. This is affecting us and it could be me. It could be my health.”
She also advocated for strengthened public-private partnerships, specifically citing the insurance industry as critical partners in helping organizations to anticipate and respond to climate risks.
Panel Discussion: Key Themes and A Call to Action
Moderated by Hervé Balzano, President of Health & Benefits at Mercer and Mercer Marsh Benefits, the panel focused on what organizations are already doing to mitigate the escalating impacts of climate on health. Leaders illuminated the deep interconnections between community health systems, diagnostics technologies, financing models, and health equity as essential components for safeguarding affected populations today.
Dr. Rangarajan Sampath, SVP at Siemens Healthineers, drew on learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic to emphasize the critical role of diagnostics in global health security, especially given the risk of emerging diseases due to climate change. He explained how investments in regional manufacturing and innovations like drone-assisted sample delivery can localize solutions and enhance access.
Building on the theme of thinking globally and acting locally, Dr. Madeleine Ballard, CEO of the Community Health Impact Coalition, echoed Helen Clark’s comments on navigating conflicting regional priorities. She reiterated the need for global guidelines, funding, and advocacy as crucial elements in driving sustainable health policy. Ballard underscored the pivotal role of community health workers at the frontlines of climate-related response, such as pandemic detection and healthcare delivery.
If we don't want to get burned, we can't leave health care workers out in the cold.
Community Health Impact Coalition
This is a crisis today for children and we need partnerships, collective action across the board
UNICEF
A tangible example of cross-sector collaboration came from Daniella Foster, Global Head of Public Affairs at Bayer, who shared Bayer’s work in forging partnerships like the Better Life Farming Alliance. This initiative not only equips smallholder farmers with tools for resilience like insurance products, but also addresses their healthcare needs through last-mile delivery systems.
At the organizational level, Foster additionally commented on Bayer’s steps to align climate goals with corporate strategy, with 20% of board compensation tied to the company’s achievement of sustainability targets.
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The session concluded with a unified message: collaboration is key. Addressing the health challenges of climate change today requires innovative strategies that bring together the private and public sectors, governments, and communities to build resilient systems.
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As Hervé Balzano summarized, “You can’t go it alone.” The solutions discussed - spanning technology, community-driven care, and innovative funding models - offer a roadmap for collective action and health system resilience in the face of one of the greatest challenges of our time.
Live from the 2025 World Economic Forum
Senior Partner with Mercer Marsh Benefits and leads Health Transformation and Sustainability. Lorna has extensive experience designing health solutions for diverse populations including risk analysis, operational and benefit design, onsite and digital delivery. Lorna has published and presented on issues regarding public health including with the World Economic Forum , The HLTH conference, The Institute of Medicine, The Agency for Health Care Quality and Research and the International Aids Conference. She has served on several boards with a focus on improving access to health including the Global Business Group on Health, Blueprint Health Tech Accelerator, The American Council on Exercise and the March of Dimes. Policy Board.
With over 20 years of experience in insurance and employee benefits, I take pride in leading Mercer and Marsh’s Health businesses and delivering benefits that truly benefit for clients across 73 countries.
I have led and transformed international business across both mature and emerging markets, focusing on solving client needs, delivering sustainable growth and creating value.
What matters to me is that the work we do as a team has a purpose and makes a real difference in people’s lives. As a leader, I focus on creating a collaborative and can-do culture, fostering an inclusive workplace, and promoting values of trust, innovative thinking and authenticity.
