Bridging Climate-Health Attribution Science and Health-Sector Practice

Attribution science has made substantial progress in quantifying the influence of anthropogenic climate change on extreme events, yet its application to human health outcomes remains limited and difficult to operationalize for health-sector practitioners. Methodological complexity, fragmented guidance, and challenges in interpreting and communicating results hinder the uptake of climate-health attribution evidence in public health decision-making. We present the development of a structured, accessible resource designed to support health-sector engagement with climate-health attribution and its application in public health decision-making, within the TACTIC (HealTh ImpAct ToolkIt for Climate change attribution) project funded by the Wellcome Trust. This work is designed as an accessible, practice-oriented resource that complements technical methodological materials, supporting users who wish to understand or engage with climate-health attribution studies. While primarily targeting public health professionals and health agencies, it is also intended to be useful for researchers, policy advisors, and communicators working at the climate-health interface. This work synthesizes existing evidence and emerging best practices in health impact attribution and is structured around key practical questions: when attribution is feasible for specific climate hazards and health outcomes; what data, assumptions, and methods are required; how results should be interpreted and communicated; and how uncertainty and limitations should be conveyed. Its development is informed by stakeholder engagement, community input, and applied case studies in climate-vulnerable regions, ensuring relevance across diverse geographical and resource contexts. By translating complex attribution concepts into clear, actionable guidance, this work aims to build capacity, support evidence-informed public health action, and strengthen the integration of climate-health attribution science into policy and practice.