The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: representation matters – Authors' reply

The Lancet Countdown's data expose how climate change disproportionately threatens the health of people in low Human Development Index countries, which often contribute the least to the problem.1 However, health and climate change research is still dominated by scientists in high-income countries (HICs).1,2 This disparity not only restricts the evidence available to inform actions to protect the health of the most vulnerable communities, but could also inadvertently result in unintended harms, widening global health inequities. To address this problem, the Lancet Countdown is entering a new phase, establishing and strengthening its regional centres in LMIC-majority regions, with the purpose of building networks of local researchers to expand their work on climate change and health, regularly publish Lancet Countdown regional indicator reports, and to foster their involvement in our global outputs. In support of this transformation, an open call for working group co-chairs was issued, with efforts particularly directed towards attracting researchers from LMICs.8 Through this and other processes, the Lancet Countdown will continue pursuing an increase in representation, through new ways of engaging potential LMIC working group co-chairs, and by continuing to expand its regional centres in LMIC-majority regions.