MANILA, Philippines — The weeks of heavy rainfall that caused flooding in parts of the Philippines have again brought the health risks associated with extreme weather into public view.
But while research on climate change and health in the country has increased in recent years, a University of the Philippines (UP)-led review found that much of the research remains concentrated in Luzon, with relatively few studies using long-term climate and health data.
The findings came from a review of 69 studies on climate change and health in the Philippines published between 2018 and 2023. Published in Frontiers in Climate in July 2025, the study was conducted by researchers from the UP-National Institutes of Health and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.
The researchers found a substantial increase in climate-health research compared with an earlier review covering 1980 to 2017, including notable growth in studies on mental health, gender-based vulnerabilities and adaptation measures.
However, important gaps remained.
