Living evidence map of the global climate and health literature

Climate and health research is expanding faster than any traditional review process can keep pace with. In 2025, the field lost one of its few centralised resources when the NIEHS Climate Change and Human Health Literature Portal was closed. DESTINY’ s Impact Case 1 (IC1) responds to this gap with two elements: a dedicated repository and built on it, a living evidence map that is continuously updated as new literature is published, rather than a static snapshot.

The map and repository are built using machine learning classifiers and large language models, applied under human supervision. These tools categorise documents by population, climate-related aspect, topic (impacts, mitigation or adaptation), intervention, sector, actor, governance scale, geography and health exposures and outcomes. This human-led, AI-assisted approach enables us to scope an entire, rapidly growing field (potentially over 1.2 million documents) rather than a curated subset. “Living” also means our methods evolve as new evidence types or classification needs emerge.

Because interest holders use evidence differently, the repository is designed to be multi-purpose. Researchers can identify gaps and build syntheses; policymakers and funders can understand the scale and distribution of evidence; and communities can find research relevant to the risks they face. All of this is possible through a single, continuously updated resource, which is accessible via a dedicated website with simple and advanced Boolean search, including AI-assisted tools to help build queries.

Our living evidence map will present annual high-level syntheses of the global evidence base alongside case scenarios showing how it can be applied to specific topics. These include descriptive summaries, visualisations and taxonomy-based mapping of clusters and gaps across hazards, health impacts, pathways and responses. The first version will highlight evidence gaps in six priority areas identified with interest holders: extreme heat, vector-borne diseases, cholera, maternal and child health, food-borne diseases and mental health outcomes, with further topics planned for future versions.