Download CLIMATE CHANGE and PUBLIC HEALTH

CLIMATE CHANGE
and
PUBLIC HEALTH
Mitigation, Adaptation and
Research in New York State
New York State Department of Health
What is Climate Change?
• “Any significant change in measures of climate,
such as temperature, precipitation, wind, and
other weather patterns, lasting for decades or
longer.”
• Overwhelming consensus of scientific studies is
that climate change is human caused and due
to increases in greenhouse gases from burning
fossil fuel.
• Climate change is occurring now, in New York
and around the globe.
New York State Department of Health
Atmospheric concentrations of important long-lived greenhouse gases over the last 2,000 years.
Increases since about 1750 are attributed to human activities in the industrial era. Concentration units
are parts per million (ppm) or parts per billion (ppb), indicating the number of molecules of the
greenhouse gas per million or billion air molecules, respectively, in an atmospheric sample.
(Source: IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007)
New York State Department of Health
Global Emissions of Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gases, 1970
to 2004
(Source: IPCC. Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report, Summary for Policymakers, Figure
SPM3, p.5.)
New York State Department of Health
Climate Change Indicators
New York State Department of Health
Climate Change Indicators
(Source: The State of the Climate Highlights: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), 2009.)
New York State Department of Health
Climate Risks in NYS
• Stronger, longer heat waves
• More frequent/heavy precipitation events
• More frequent/severe droughts
• More frequent severe weather events
• Sea level rise/coastal flooding
New York State Department of Health
Public Health Consequences
• Increase in heat-related morbidity/mortality
• Increase in vector-, water- and food-borne disease
• Loss of water supply and water quality
• Outcomes associated with loss of electricity
• Increase in adverse health outcomes associated
with air pollution (e.g., asthma, COPD)
New York State Department of Health
Public Health Consequences
• Increase in health conditions associated with
allergens
• Effects on the food supply
• Evacuation of health care facilities
• Disrupted access to emergency/routine medical
care
• Mental/emotional health consequences
New York State Department of Health
Climate Justice/Climate Gap
• Everyone is at risk, but greatest health burdens
likely to fall on those with lowest socioeconomic
status1
– Ethnic/racial minorities & people who have low incomes
• CA Climate Adaptation Strategy2 describes
inequities in context of extreme heat:
- Chronic illness
- Air conditioning access
- Fear of crime
1CCSP
- Urban heat islands
- Occupation
(Climate Change Science Program). 2008. Analyses of the effects of global change on human health and welfare and human systems. Final
Report, Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.6. Report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change
Research. Gamble, JL (ed.), Ebi, KL, Sussman, FG, Wilbanks, TJ (Authors). Washington, DC: US Environmental Protection Agency.
2Available
at: http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/adaptation/
New York State Department of Health
Ten Essential Services of Public Health
Source: Frumkin, H, Hess, J, Luber, G, Malilay, J, McGeehin, M. 2008. Climate change: The public health response.
American Journal of Public Health 98(3): 435-445.
New York State Department of Health
Mitigation & Adaptation
• Mitigation: actions/policies to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions
– “40 by 30” and “80 by 50”
• Adaptation: actions/policies to prepare for
climate change, to reduce its impacts and
to take advantage of new opportunities.
– occurs at individual, community,
organizational, institutional levels
– calls for incorporating climate change
information into planning & decision making
New York State Department of Health
Adaptation
“As climate change has become a certainty,
so has the need for public health action to
anticipate, manage, and ameliorate the
health burdens it will impose”
(Source: Frumkin, H, Hess, J, Luber, G, Malilay, J, McGeehin, M. 2008. Climate change: The public health response.
American Journal of Public Health 98(3): 435-445.)
New York State Department of Health
Actions/Initiatives/Programs
•
•
•
•
NYS Climate Action Plan (Interim)
NYS Sea Level Rise Task Force
NYC
NYS Department of Environmental
Conservation
• NYS Energy Research and Development
Authority
• Research and Grants
New York State Department of Health
NYS Climate Action Plan
•
•
•
•
•
Required by Executive Order (EO 24, 2008)
EO 24 established NYS Climate Action Council
NYS CAP (Interim Report) issued 11/10
CAP addresses mitigation and adaptation
Multiple “sectors” addressed:
–
–
–
–
Public Health
Agriculture
Transportation
etc.
New York State Department of Health
NYS CAP: Public Health Adaptation
Recommendations
• Improve/establish robust mechanisms to reduce the potential
for heat-related morbidity and mortality in New York State
• Educate/empower/engage all New Yorkers to foster a better
understanding of the public health consequences of climate
change and take actions to reduce/eliminate those
consequences
• Assess and improve the capacity of existing public health
preparedness, response, and recovery programs to
respond to climate-related impacts and direct resources
where needed
• Build community resilience and integrated public health
capacity to reduce human health impacts of climate change
New York State Department of Health
NYS CAP: Public Health Adaptation
Recommendations
• Evaluate and enhance, as necessary, the capacity of
existing surveillance programs for vector-, food-, and
water-borne diseases and disease-causing agents to
monitor and respond to the anticipated climate changerelated increase in such public health threats
• Assess and prepare for the significant public health risks
associated with hazards related to sea level rise
• Conduct and support research on the public health
consequences of climate change and their effective
incorporation into adaptation strategies
New York State Department of Health
NYS Sea Level Rise Task Force
• Established in 2007 by NYS Legislature
• Charged with assessing the impacts of rising seas on the state’s
coastlines, and recommending protective and adaptive measures
• Final report to the NYS Legislature issued 12/31/10
• Issues addressed included:
– Public works/infrastructure
– Effects on communities (public health, loss of shelter, disrupted
livelihoods and loss of economic vitality, quality of life and community
cohesion)
• Public health recommendation:
“Undertake a comprehensive assessment of the public health risks
associated with sea level rise, coastal hazards and climate change
including compromised indoor air quality, effects on drinking water,
posttraumatic stress and other mental health problems, increases in
disease vectors, impaired access to health care, and loss of reliable
access to food and medical supplies.”
New York State Department of Health
NYS DEC
• Office of Climate Change
– Climate Science and Technology
– Climate Programs and Partnerships
• Climate Smart Communities
– Partnership between NYS and local communities “to
lower greenhouse gases and save taxpayer dollars
through climate smart actions that also promote
community health and safety, affordability, economic
strength and quality of life.”
New York State Department of Health
NYSERDA
• ClimAID: The Integrated Assessment for
Effective Climate Change Adaptation Strategies
in New York State
– Goal of providing decision makers with information on
the state’s vulnerability to climate change and to
facilitate developing adaptation strategies
– Authored by university and research scientists (e.g.,
Columbia University, City University of New York,
Cornell University)
– Covers range of “sectors” (public health, agriculture,
ecosystems, etc.)
– Draft report issued 11/01/10
• Adaptation and mitigation research funding
New York State Department of Health
NYC
• PlaNYC – A comprehensive sustainability plan
for NYC’s future
• Initiatives related to climate change include:
– Expanding greenspace and city-wide tree planting
– Creating public plazas in all communities
– Promoting use of cleaner burning heating fuels
– Reducing motor vehicle emissions
New York State Department of Health
Research/Grants
• “Climate Variability/Change and the Risks of UnderStudied Adverse Health Outcomes” (CDC). Goals:
– To identify which specific diseases are related to individual
weather factors including assessment of:
• Effects of extreme events and climate variability on health outcomes
• Interactive effects of air pollutants
• Vulnerable populations
– To evaluate utility and efficacy of a composite weather
indicator in the study of health effects of weather
– To establish a climate-health tracking system and develop
public health communication/education strategies
• DOH contact: Shao Lin ([email protected])
New York State Department of Health
Evidence of Increasing Warming and
Wetness in NYS (1900- 2008)
Supported in part by Grant #5U01EH000396-01 (NY) National Center for Environmental Health, Center for Disease Control and Grant # 5U38EH000184-05 National
Environmental Public Health Tracking Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The meteorological data are provided by the National Center for Atmospheric
Research which is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation .
New York State Department of Health
Research/Grants
• “Developing Public Health Capacity and
Adaptations to Reduce Human Health Effects of
Climate Change in New York State” (CDC)
• Overarching goal is to leverage existing
programmatic initiatives to reduce human health
effects of climate change by:
– Enhancing assessment
– Expanding planning
– Building capacity
• DOH contact: Kathleen Clancy
([email protected])
New York State Department of Health
Summary
Climate change:
– is real
– is happening now
– poses significant public
health threats
There is an urgent need
for planning and action
New York State Department of Health
Some Information Resources
• Climate Literacy. The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences
http://downloads.climatescience.gov/Literacy/Climate%20Literacy%
20Booklet%20Hi-Res.pdf
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
http://www.ipcc.ch/
• NYSERDA’s ClimAID Project
http://www.nyserda.org/programs/environment/emep/clim-aidsynthesis-draft.pdf
• NYS Climate Action Plan
http://www.nyclimatechange.us/InterimReport.cfm
New York State Department of Health
Some Information Resources
• NYS Sea Level Rise Task Force
http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/45202.html
• NYS DEC Office of Climate Change
http://www.dec.ny.gov/about/43166.html
• NYC – PlaNYC (climate change)
http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/plan/climate.shtml
• APHA Webinar Series: “Climate Change: Mastering the Public
Health Role”
http://www.apha-environment.org/
New York State Department of Health