The State of Climate Adaptation in Public Health: An Assessment of 16 U.S. States

Executive Summary

Cover PhotoClimate change poses significant threats to the health of individuals and communities, as well as the delivery of healthcare services. Human morbidity and mortality rates are rising due to extreme heat events and changing patterns of water-borne and vector-borne diseases, and healthcare infrastructure is at risk from extreme events. Climate adaptation actions are taken to either avoid or take advantage of climate change impacts either by decreasing vulnerability or increasing resilience.

As part of EcoAdapt’s State of Adaptation Program,1 we partnered with the Natural Resources Defense Council to assess the state of climate adaptation planning and implementation for climate-related threats to public health in 16 U.S. states.

Our objectives were to:

  1. Assess understanding among public health officials of climate change impacts
  2. Document activities – planned and underway – to prepare for and respond to climate-related challenges
  3. Synthesize findings in case studies to inform adaptation planning in other states
  4. Create a public health topic page on the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE) to share relevant resources, tools, and case studies.2

The 16 states chosen for the analysis – Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin – include a cross-section of areas in which the Natural Resources Defense Council is engaged in climate and clean energy advocacy work, states included in the Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge program, and a subset of those in which the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects framework is being operationalized.

We categorized states as those with:

  1. A statewide climate action or adaptation plan but no standalone public health department plan
    • Washington, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida
  2. A public health department climate action or adaptation plan but no statewide plan 
    • Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina
  3. Neither a statewide nor public health department plan
    • Nevada, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey
  4. Both a statewide and public health department plan
    • Oregon

We examined if and how climate change is being integrated into activities at state public health departments. The majority of initiatives at the state health departments we surveyed are focused on capacity building, primarily environmental health monitoring; vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning efforts; public awareness outreach and communication campaigns related to climate change; and collaborating with local health departments, tribal agencies, and nongovernmental organizations. Eighteen full-length case studies are presented on how various practitioners are integrating climate change into public health.

Project Background

Climate change poses significant threats to the health of individuals and communities, as well as the delivery of healthcare services. Human morbidity and mortality rates are expected to rise due to extreme heat events and changing patterns of water- and vector-borne diseases, and health care infrastructure is at risk from extreme events. EcoAdapt partnered with the Natural Resources Defense Council to assess the state of climate adaptation planning and implementation for climate-related threats to public health in 16 U.S. states.

Using a four-step process (Figure 1), our objectives were to:

  • Assess understanding among public health officials of climate change impacts
  • Document activities – planned and underway – to prepare for and respond to climate-related challenges
  • Synthesize findings in case studies to inform adaptation planning in other states
  • Create a public health topic page on the CAKE to share relevant resources, tools, and case studies2

Figure 1

The 16 states chosen for the analysis included those in the West (Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Washington), Midwest/Great Lakes (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin), Northeast (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania), and Southeast (North Carolina, Virginia, Florida). These states include a cross-section of areas in which the Natural Resources Defense Council is engaged in climate and clean energy advocacy work, states included in the Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) program, and a subset of those in which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework is being operationalized.

Research questions guiding the project included:

  • Is there a mandate for climate adaptation planning in the state?
  • What is the status of adaptation planning in the public health department?
  • What are the specific barriers to developing health-related adaptation plans, implementing the plans, or merging adaptation and mitigation plans?
  • Are there key nongovernmental actors working to advance health-related climate adaptation?
  • What are the core lessons learned that can inform other climate-informed public health processes?

 


Suggested Citation

Gregg RM, Braddock KN, Kershner JM. 2019. The State of Climate Adaptation in Public Health: An Assessment of 16 U.S. States. EcoAdapt, Bainbridge Island, WA.

Acknowledgements

This report was partially funded by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC); the views contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of NRDC. Additional support was provided through the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE; www.CAKEx.org). Thank you to our peer reviewers for their invaluable input and insights. Finally, thank you to the numerous individuals who contributed materials and participated in interviews and surveys for this project.

State Climate Action Plans, Mitigation Plans & Case Studies

State Climate Action Plan

Colorado Climate Plan (2015)

Health Department Climate Plan

No Plan

Health Department Climate Plan

No Plan

State Hazard Mitigation Plan

Iowa Hazard Mitigation Plan (2013)

State Climate Action Plan

No Plan

Health Department Climate Plan

No Plan

State Hazard Mitigation Plan

Missouri State Hazard Mitigation Plan (2018)

State Climate Action Plan

No Plan

Health Department Climate Plan

No Plan

State Hazard Mitigation Plan

Ohio Standard Hazard Mitigation Plan (2014)