What: Climate Change and Human Health Symposium
Where: Milken Institute School of Public Health, 950 New Hampshire Ave., NW
When: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. April 24
Details: The event is free and open to the public. Interested attendees should RSVP online.
From wildfires, air pollution and droughts to water- and food-borne disease, the effects of climate change pose a serious threat to human health, concludes the third National Climate Change Assessment, released by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) in 2014.
Studies cited in the report show that cities across the United States have suffered dramatic increases in death rates during heat waves, and extreme heat events continue to increase. Fleas, ticks and mosquitoes once restricted to hot areas of the world, are spreading to new regions and carrying illness with them. Rising sea levels are intensifying coastal flooding and stressing vulnerable populations.
Public health actions, especially preparedness and prevention, may protect people from these impacts, but as climate change threats increase, “our ability to adapt to future changes may be limited,” according to the assessment’s authors.
Now, with new scientific evidence to further support these findings, the USGCRP has released a comprehensive draft report that delves even deeper into the health problems related to climate change. The draft report is open to public comments before it becomes final and is released in 2016.
“We are really encouraging the public to review and comment on the draft to strengthen the assessment and ensure it is as robust and scientifically sound as it can be,” said Mark Shimamoto, a graduate student in the Milken Institute School of Public Health and health coordinator at the USGCRP. “The hope is that it will help not only the federal government, but also public health officials, urban planners and other decision makers better understand the risks of climate change to human health.”
As part of its increasing focus on sustainability, the George Washington University will host several of the report’s authors during a town hall meeting at the Milken Institute School of Public Health Friday morning. The authors will discuss findings in the draft report, answer questions and inform audience members how they can contribute to the assessment’s review.
“I think it’s a great chance to learn more about climate change and human health, but also to contribute to the dialogue about where the country needs to be going in this area,” said Melissa Perry, professor and chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.
The meeting, Dr. Perry said, is just one of the school’s ongoing efforts to train the next generation of climate change experts.
On April 9, she and Dean Lynn R. Goldman attended a roundtable session at the White House with 30 deans from public health and nursing schools around the country—one of a series of actions President Obama has taken to protect communities from the negative effects of climate change. During the session, the deans pledged to prepare their students to address health risks related to a warming planet.
“It was an opportunity to unite with many others who have been working in this area and to think practically about what schools and federal agencies can do to support a public health response,” Dr. Perry said. “In the early days, people were spending a lot of time on the climate science: Was the temperature increasing? Then there was a focus on disaster preparedness. Only more recently have we been thinking systematically about the health effects.”
Dr. Perry said the Milken Institute SPH has made a conscious effort to integrate climate change into the public health curriculum since her arrival four years ago. All Master of Public Health students are required to take a course on environmental health, and the school has added electives on climate change, including Climate Change Communication. The school also is developing a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) about climate change and human health.
Dr. Perry and Mr. Shimamoto said Friday’s event is a way to further augment students’ climate change education.
“I think it’s really useful for students to understand the process of how this becomes a report and gives them the chance to be a part of it,” Mr. Shimamoto said. “It’s a great learning experience.”
