Antimicrobial Resistance Under a Changing Climate
The landscape of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is changing across the animal, human and environmental ecosphere, with both climate change and AMR recognised as leading threats to human health. In this viewpoint, we argue that climate change is likely to reshape the conditions under which AMR emerges, persists and spreads, with important implications for how risks are understood and managed in Aotearoa New Zealand (ANZ). These risks arise because climate‐related exposures interact with existing vulnerabilities and adaptive capacity across human, animal and environmental systems. Addressing AMR under climate change requires long‐term, transdisciplinary planning that integrates surveillance, infrastructure resilience, emissions reduction and protection of human, animal and environmental systems. We highlight the need for a One Health lens to understand transmission pathways across human, animal and environmental systems, situated within a broader Planetary Health perspective that recognises AMR as part of interconnected challenges of climate change, including pollution and biodiversity loss. Therefore, embedding AMR within climate adaptation health planning is essential to strengthen resilience and reduce future public and environmental health risks.
Authors
- Louise Weaver (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3750-868X)
- Annette Bolton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7252-2049)
- Angela Baschieri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4763-441X)
- Sarah Nelson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7529-6481)
- Isabelle Pattis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0799-2009)
- Ethan Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6160-6268)
Institutions
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- University of Canterbury (NZ)
- New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (NZ)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand
- Published
- 2026-09-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/snz2.70084
- Primary Topic
- Antibiotic Use and Resistance
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00