US Climate and Health Alliance

Assessing Health Vulnerability to Climate Change: A guide for health departments

Abstract

This document provides guidance for health departments on how to assess local vulnerabilities to health hazards associated with climate change. This assessment of people and place vulnerability can then be used to implement targeted public health interventions to reduce the burden of public health impacts.3 Introduction This document provides guidance for health departments on how to assess local vulnerabilities to h ealth hazards associated with climate change. A climate and health vulnerability assessment allows health departments to understand the people and places in their jurisdiction that are more susceptible to adverse health impacts associated with climate change. This assessment of people and place vulnerability can then be used to implement targeted public health interventions to reduce the burden of public health impacts. This document provides a conceptual framework on how to define vulnerability to climate change, using terms and definitions found in the health and climate change scientific literature. Specifically, we define the term exposure as referring to climate-related exposures such as extreme heat or precipitation. We also provide an example of how to conduct a climate and health vulnerability assessment using a case study on heat vulnerability in Georgia.

Resource Type
Report
Authors
Arie Ponce Manangan Christopher K. Uejio Shubhayu Saha Paul J. Schramm Gino D. Marinucci Claudia Langford Brown Jeremy J. Hess George Luber
Resource URL
http://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/pubs/assessinghealthvulnerabilitytoclimatechange.pdf
Series Title
Climate and Health Technical Report Series
Institution
Climate and Health Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Organization Type
Us fed gov
Health and Human Impact
Overview/general
Climate and Environmental Impact
Overview/general
Solution
Public health/health sector response
Other
Vulnerability assessment

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