Oral

The 3rd US National Climate Assessment (NCA) is currently being conducted under the auspices of the Global Change Research Act of 1990 which requires a report to the President and the Congress every four years that integrates, evaluates, and interprets the findings of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP); analyzes the effects of climate change on the natural and social systems, including public health, and analyzes current trends in climate change and projects major trends for the subsequent 25 to 100 years. The NCA acts as a status reports about climate change science and impacts; it is based on observations made across the country and compares these observations to predictions from climate system models. Because of its broad coverage of climate impacts, vulnerabilities, and adaptation/mitigation options across a wide array of sectors and regions, the NCA is an important resource for understanding and communicating climate change science and impacts in the U.S. This session will present an overview of the Public Health engagement with the 3rd US National Climate Assessment, present the major findings of the author team for the public health chapter, and describe the process for developing a future sustained, or ongoing, assessment process. Additional time will be spent discussing the regional context of climate change impacts on public health, recognizing that these impacts will vary significantly by climate region. The session presenters are all NCA health chapter lead authors and represent a variety of perspectives across public health.

Session Objectives: 1. Describe the process of the US National Climate Assessment and list three scientific findings of the Health Sector’s analysis of climate change’s impacts on health in the US. 2. Demonstrate the concept of a “regional” or “downscaled” approach to climate assessments by contrasting the findings of the assessment of future climate change impacts on health in two distinct climate regions of the US. 3. Describe the concept of a “sustained assessment” and list 3 potential environmental health indicators to be used in such a process.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)