Incorporating climate change strategies into AMR intervention and implementation research projects: A scoping review

Context

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face a growing and interconnected challenge at the intersection of climate change and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Climate-related stressors such as rising temperatures, flooding, droughts, and extreme weather events are increasingly disrupting livestock and aquaculture systems that are critical to food security and livelihoods in these settings. These disruptions can alter disease patterns in animals, increase infection risks, and place pressure on farmers and producers to rely more heavily on antimicrobials to maintain productivity. 

At the same time, many LMICs have limited regulatory oversight, surveillance capacity, and access to climate-resilient animal health services. As a result, antimicrobial use in livestock and aquaculture is often poorly monitored, creating conditions that allow resistant microorganisms to emerge and spread across animal, environmental, and human systems. Climate change can further accelerate this spread by affecting water systems, waste management, and the geographic distribution of animals and pathogens. 

While AMR and climate change are often addressed through separate policies and interventions, there is growing recognition that these challenges are deeply linked. However, evidence on how climate-smart practices interact with AMR mitigation, particularly in LMIC livestock and aquaculture systems, remains fragmented. There is also limited guidance on how existing policies, technologies, and delivery models can be aligned to address both challenges in an integrated and practical way. 

Problem

Although AMR and climate change are both major global challenges, they are usually addressed separately in research, policy, and practice. This separation creates blind spots. Climate change can increase disease risks in animals, disrupt production systems, and drive higher antimicrobial use, yet many AMR strategies do not account for these climate-related pressures. 

There is currently no clear, consolidated understanding of how climate change influences antimicrobial use and resistance in animal production systems, which climate-smart practices help reduce AMR risks, and which may unintentionally worsen them. Policymakers, practitioners, and communities are left without practical guidance on what works, in what context, and why. 

In addition, while many LMICs have policies or action plans on AMR or climate change, these are often weakly implemented, poorly coordinated, or disconnected from local realities. Successful business models, delivery systems, and community-led approaches are not well documented or shared. 

This lack of integrated evidence makes it difficult to design effective, climate-resilient AMR interventions that are realistic, equitable, and sustainable for LMIC livestock and aquaculture systems. 

Project overview

This project will examine how climate change and antimicrobial resistance interact in livestock and aquaculture systems, with a focus on LMICs. The goal is to bring together existing evidence, real-world experiences, and policy insights to support more integrated and climate-aware AMR strategies. 

The project will use a scoping review to collect and synthesise research and grey literature on climate change impacts on AMR, antimicrobial use, and animal production systems. This will be complemented by consultations with experts, policymakers, and practitioners, as well as community dialogues with farmers and fisherfolk, to capture practical perspectives that are often missing from academic studies. 

In parallel, the project will review national and regional policies, action plans, and delivery systems related to AMR and climate change, benchmarking LMIC experiences and identifying gaps and opportunities for integration. Insights from all activities will be combined to identify effective practices, barriers to implementation, and priority areas for future research. 

The project will conclude by developing a set of evidence-informed recommendations and a research agenda to guide policymakers, researchers, and development partners working at the intersection of climate change and AMR. 

Solutions and outcomes

This project will generate practical, accessible evidence to support better decision-making on climate-smart AMR interventions in livestock and aquaculture systems. By consolidating existing research and real-world experiences, it will clarify how climate change influences antimicrobial use and resistance, and which practices can help reduce risks in different LMIC contexts. 

Key outputs will include three different publications: a comprehensive synthesis of climate-AMR linkages, a mapped set of climate-smart practices and technologies assessed for their impact on AMR, and an overview of policies, business models, and delivery systems that show promise for integrated action. The project will also identify gaps in current knowledge and implementation, helping to avoid unintended consequences of poorly aligned interventions. 

Expected outcomes include improved awareness among policymakers and practitioners of how climate and AMR strategies can be aligned, clearer guidance on priority actions for livestock and aquaculture systems, and a stronger evidence base to support One Health approaches. Ultimately, the project aims to contribute to more resilient food systems, more responsible antimicrobial use, and more effective AMR mitigation in the face of climate change.