Climate Change Health Assessment: A Novel Approach for Alaska Native Communities

This paper describes the methodology and case-study of a Climate Change Health Assessment (CCHA) developed by the Alaska Native Health System. Indigenous Arctic peoples are vulnerable to climate change due to their traditional lifestyle, dependence on subsistence foods, and exposure to rapid and severe climate impacts. There are nearly 130,000 Alaska Natives, two-thirds of whom live in rural villages. Previous climate change assessments have generally aggregated information above local resolution, limiting value for community planning and incompletely considering health impacts. Alaska Native decision-makers require local level assessments to effectively respond to climate change. Recognizing climate change health assessment guidance, CCHA methodology was developed with five stages: (1) Scoping, (2) Partnering, (3) Surveying, (4) Data Analysis, and (5) Planning. The CCHA was first applied in Point Hope, a coastal Inupiat whaling village of about 700 residents in Northwest Alaska. The assessment relied upon the collection of descriptive data from local knowledge keepers concerning extreme weather, erosion, flooding, sea ice, permafrost, and food resources. Health risk exposure pathways were identified for extreme weather injury, infrastructure damage, impaired traditional food harvest and storage, and diminished drinking water quantity and quality. Successful partnerships with local and regional government, tribal health organizations, state and federal agencies, and academia, contributed to applied climate trend analysis and local impact modelling. The strong local evidence-based approach encouraged the development of community driven response strategies. CCHA methodology informs stakeholders of local health vulnerabilities, encourages adaptation planning, and is advancing the practice of climate health assessment in rural Alaska.