Like many developing countries, India faces a disproportionate share of adverse impacts from climate change, including the exacerbation of its already substantial public-health challenges. The government of India has recognized health as a priority area in its climate-adaptation strategy, and many states now include initiatives related to health in their climate action plans; however, internal public-health capacity for climate-change adaptation is limited. The National Institutes of Health, with support from NOAA and the Department of State, collaborated with organizers in India to host a...
Share
Highlights
Since 1989, the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has submitted annual reports to Congress called Our Changing Planet. The reports describe the status of USGCRP research activities, provide progress updates, and document recent accomplishments
In particular, Our Changing Planet highlights progress and accomplishments in interagency activities. These highlights represent the broad spectrum of USGCRP activities that extend from Earth system observations, modeling, and fundamental research through synthesis and assessment, decision support, education, and public engagement.
Climate change is expected to increase the number of extremely hot days, posing health risks to vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children, and those with existing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. To streamline prediction of and adaptation to these events, HHS’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and NOAA held a Heat Health Summit in Silver Spring, MD, in October 2014. The Summit drew participants from across NOAA, CDC, EPA, DOE, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; state and local health departments;
With leadership by EPA, NOAA, and HHS agencies including CDC and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USGCRP is continuing development of its Climate and Health Assessment, a contribution to the sustained assessment process that will support the next quadrennial NCA report. The USGCRP Climate and Health Assessment will address the need for a more definitive understanding of climate impacts on public health, as called for in the President’s Climate Action Plan. It will synthesize
USGCRP has become a crossing ground for Federal health communities considering the risks of climate change. To expand the reach of this engagement within and beyond the Federal Government, USGCRP agencies supported a number of outreach events over the past year focused on climate and health (see related Highlight 13). As one example, USGCRP engaged a broad spectrum of health stakeholders around the release of the Third National Climate Assessment, disseminating key messages about health impacts through various networks, sharing supplementary resources, and
Climate change threatens human health in a variety of ways, including through increased heat waves, worsened air quality, changing ranges of food-, water-, and insect-borne diseases, and other effects. These impacts are already affecting the health of Americans and are expected to intensify as climate change progresses. To better understand and meet the public health challenges posed by climate change, USGCRP—through leadership by EPA, NOAA, and HHS’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH)—is developing a new
Overview
Hurricane Sandy hit the northeastern United States in October 2012 and was the deadliest hurricane of the season, as well as the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history. Such extreme coastal flooding events are expected to become more frequent as a result of climate change-related sea-level rise. A Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force was created to provide consistent, clear, accessible information for decision
Overview
Vibrio is a type of disease-causing bacteria that occurs naturally in warm coastal areas. It is the most common cause of seafood-borne disease and is associated with 95% of related fatalities. To reduce the prevalence of Vibrio-related health risks in the United States and beyond, several USGCRP