Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems Page: 73
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Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems
regions, but will be concentrated in the most
vulnerable groups.
Proactive policies and measures should
be identified that improve the context for
adaptation, reduce exposures related to climate
variability and change, prevent the onset
of climate-sensitive health outcomes, and
increase treatment options. Future community,
state, and national assessments of the health
impacts of climate variability and change
should identify gaps in adaptive capacity,
including where barriers and constraints
to implementation, such as governance
mechanisms, need to be addressed.
Because of regional variability in the types of
health stressors attributable to climate change
and their associated responses, it is difficult
to summarize adaptation at the national level.
Planning for adaptation is hindered by the
fact that downscaled climate projections,
as well as other climate information and
tools, are generally not available to local
governments. Such data and tools are essential
for sectors potentially affected by climate
change to assess their vulnerability and possible
adaptation options, and to catalogue, evaluate,
and disseminate adaptation measures. Explicit
consideration of climate change is needed in
the many programs and research activities
within federal, state, and local agencies that
are relevant to adaptation to ensure that they
have maximum effectiveness and timeliness
in reducing future vulnerability. In addition,
collaboration and coordination are needed
across agencies and sectors to ensure protection
of the American population from the current
and projected impacts of climate change.
2.7 EXPANDING THE
KNOWLEDGE BASE
Few research and data gaps have been filled
since the First National Assessment. An
important shift in perspective that occurred
since the First National Assessment is a
greater appreciation of the complex pathways
and relationships through which weather and
climate affect health, and the understanding
that many social and behavioral factors will
influence disease risks and patterns (NRC,2001). Several research gaps identified in the
First National Assessment have been partially
filled by studies that address the differential
effects of temperature extremes by community,
demographic, and biological characteristics;
that improve our understanding of exposure-
response relationships for extreme heat; and
that project the public health burden posed by
climate-related changes in heat waves and air
quality. Despite these advances, the body of
literature remains small, limiting quantitative
projections of future impacts.
Improving our understanding of the linkages
between climate change and health in the
United States, may require a wide range of
activities.
* Improve characterization of exposure-
response relationships, particularly
at regional and local levels, including
identifying thresholds and particularly
vulnerable groups.
* Collect data on the early effects of changing
weather patterns on climate-sensitive health
outcomes.
* Collect and enhance long-term surveillance
data on health issues of potential concern,
including VBZ diseases, air quality, pollen
and mold counts, reporting of food- and
water-borne diseases, morbidity due to
temperature extremes, and mental health
impacts from extreme weather events.
* Develop quantitative models of possible
health impacts of climate change that can be
used to explore the consequences of a range
of socioeconomic and climate scenarios.
* Increase understanding of the processes of
adaptation, including social and behavioral
dimensions, as well as the costs and benefits
of interventions.
* Evaluate the implementation of adaptation
measures. For example, evaluation of heat
wave warning systems, especially as they
become implemented on a wider scale
(NOAA, 2005), is needed to understand how
to motivate appropriate behavior.
* Understand local- and regional-scale
vulnerability and adaptive capacity to
characterize the potential risks and thetime horizon over which climate risks
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U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research. Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems, book, September 2008; Washington, DC, USA. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc12033/m1/85/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .