The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) supports a broad portfolio of research and decision support initiatives related to environmental health and the health effects of global climate change, primarily through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Research focuses on the need to better understand the vulnerabilities of individuals and communities to climate-related changes in health risks such as heat-related morbidity and mortality, respiratory effects of air contaminants affected by climate change, changes in transmission of infectious diseases, and impacts in the aftermath of severe weather events, among many others. Research efforts also seek to assess the effectiveness of various public health adaptation strategies to reduce climate vulnerability, as well as the potential health effects of interventions to reduce GHG emissions.

Specifically, HHS supports USGCRP by conducting fundamental and applied research on linkages between climate variability and change and health, translating scientific advances into decision support tools for public health professionals, conducting ongoing monitoring and surveillance of climate-related health outcomes, and engaging the public health community in two-way communication about climate change.