State of Climate & Health Research in the GCC

AEON Collective produces, curates and disseminates fact-supported and culturally relevant knowledge pertaining to sustainability. In partnership with fellow Riyadh-based scientific group Community Jameel and with the support of myriad universities, research centers, and non–profits, they produced a comprehensive report on the state of climate and health in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

AEON and Community Jameel contacted us to help clean, organize, visualize, and package their information into a published work that epitomized best–in–class standards for information design and data visualization. More than a straightforward adaptation, we were tasked with conceptualizing a modern and distinctive visual identity representative of the project's grand scope and AEON and Community Jameel's longterm, international ambitions.

The GCC report is intended to supply policymakers with an indispensable resource to support fundraising, policy–design, and legislative action. Hence, one of our primary objectives was to build a solid, flexible framework that could support likeminded, to-be-determined projects. As noted in the introduction, the report gives "equal value to [what's known], as well as what is still unknown."

In addition to carefully surveying the information at–hand, we also consulted scientific sources to ensure proposed solutions conveyed the rigour of AEON and Community Jameel's work. In collaboration with an international team of stakeholders, we homed in on key messaging to inform a contextually relevant visual approach that impressed urgency and the need to pursue experimental solutions—in no uncertain terms.

The 340–page State of Climate & Health Research in the GCC report includes 14 chapters, divided into three main sections, two supporting ones, and a closing note. The work's length and scope necessitated expert organization to support intuitive understanding and a seamless narrative flow.

Each section commences with key points and concludes with preliminary areas where further research is needed. The three primary sections are:

• Climate Science, which documents historical trends in temperature and other important indicators from 1979—2019 in the GCC, and includes future projections spanning the next several decades;

• Climate Impacts, that summarizes evidence and implications for health in the GCC and the broader Middle East region, with a focus on communicable diseases, women's health, public health within localized areas, and air pollution;

• and Questions Arising, that underscores the overall impact of climate change on globally relevant issues, including mental health, biodervity, migration, food sources and the supply chain, etc.