Climate-Informed Health Activities in SPARCC States: California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, and Tennessee

Posted on: 12/18/2020 - Updated on: 12/18/2020

Posted by

Rachel Gregg

Published

Abstract

This white paper is an extension of a previous report, The State of Climate Adaptation in Public Health: An Assessment of 16 U.S. States, released in June 2019, and focuses on survey and interview results specific to states participating in the Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC)—California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, and Tennessee. As part of EcoAdapt’s State of Adaptation Program, we assessed the state of climate adaptation planning and implementation for climate-related threats to public health in these states. We conducted a series of surveys and interviews in order to (1) assess understanding among public health officials of climate change impacts, and (2) document activities—planned and underway—to prepare for and respond to climate-related challenges. This white paper presents the results of the survey and state profiles of initiatives addressing the impacts of climate change on public health and healthcare services.

It is important to note that project surveys and interviews were conducted between October 2018 and November 2019, and therefore the results do not explicitly reflect the compounding effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its differential impacts on vulnerable communities on the public health system’s capacity to address climate change. However, the examples of state, tribal, and local initiatives addressing the impacts of climate change on public health and healthcare services highlight how improvements may be made to increase the resilience of our systems to global change.

 

Affiliated Organizations

EcoAdapt is at the center of climate change adaptation innovation. We provide support, training, and assistance to make conservation and management less vulnerable and more Climate Savvy. Over the past 200 years, great strides have been made in the world of conservation and now all of that is at risk because of climate change. EcoAdapt is working to ensure the success of these past efforts by delivering a framework for climate adaptation.

SPARCC is investing in and amplifying local efforts underway in six regions to ensure that new investments reduce racial disparities, build a culture of health, and prepare for a changing climate. The initiative’s long-term goal is to change the way metropolitan regions grow, invest, and build through integrated, cross-sector approaches that benefit low-income people and communities of color.

Keywords

Document Type
Adaptation Phase
Sector Addressed
Target Climate Changes and Impacts
Type of Adaptation Action/Strategy

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