Public Health Adaptation Strategies for Climate Change | US EPA

Extreme Heat

Raising Awareness

Outreach and education can help build awareness of heat island risks and establish a foundation for action.

A city or county council, or organizations such as air quality boards or planning commissions, can issue resolutions, a public statement documenting a group’s awareness of and interest in an effort, such as a heat island mitigation. A resolution does not necessarily indicate that a program will be supported financially, but it can be the first step in getting an initiative started.

Providing Incentives and Awards

Incentives & awards from governments, utilities, and other organizations can be an effective way to spur individual heat island reduction actions. Incentives might include below-market loans, tax breaks, product rebates, grants, and giveaways. Awards can rewarded exemplary work, highlight innovation, and promote solutions across the public and private sectors.

Establishing Urban Forestry, Tree, and Landscape Programs

Urban forestry or tree planting programs exist in most large cities and counties in the United States. These programs generally have broad goals that emphasize the multiple benefits trees can provide, including helping to cool cities. Moreover, many states give grants to communities and organizations that promote or maintain urban forests.

Many local governments have enacted tree and landscape ordinances, which can ensure public safety, protect trees or views, and provide shade. Three types of ordinances, in particular, are most useful from a heat island perspective: tree protection, street trees, and parking lot shade.

Retrofitting Public Buildings

Many local governments interested in mitigating heat islands started by procuring cool technologies for municipal buildings. Since state and local governments usually put construction work and material supplies out for bid, they can revise bid specifications to include cool products.

Setting Policy, Planning, Design, and Building Standards and Codes

Local and state governments can add urban heat island mitigation strategies in policies or regulations, ranging from purchasing guidelines to building codes. A number of these actions have helped remove barriers or provide incentives for implementing mitigation strategies. Others have prescribed minimum requirements, especially for new construction.

Water Quality & Public Health

Anticipate Climate Impacts and Assessing Vulnerabilities
Identify the scope of climate impacts to water quality and the associated potential health outcomes, specifically on vulnerable populations.

Anticipate Climate Impacts

Review the National Climate Assessment to better understand regional projections of climate risk

Climate change may cause a broad range of water quality-based public health concerns. Review the National Climate Assessment to better understand regional climate threats and potential climate risks. For a more in-depth analysis, utilize appropriate tools or expert assistance to downscale climate projections and better assess the anticipated range of climate risks for your community. Depending upon location and expected climate impacts the National Climate Assessment’s 2016 Climate and Health Assessment Report identifies these key climate risks:

• Seasonal and Geographic Changes in Waterborne Illness Risk

  • Changing water temperatures may mean that waterborne Vibrio bacteria and harmful algal toxins will be present in the water at different times of the year, or in places where they were not previously threats.

• Extreme Precipitation Events Increasing Exposure Risk

  • Waterborne pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and parasites such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia); toxins produced by harmful algal and cyanobacterial blooms in the water may all be exacerbated by increased runoff, warmer temperatures and discharges from point sources of pollution.

• Extreme Weather Leading to Water Infrastructure Failure

  • Extreme weather events and storm surges will increase the risk that drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure will fail due to either damage or exceedance of system capacity. As a result, the risk of exposure to water-related pathogens, chemicals, and algal toxins will increase in receiving waters and, when that enters source waters may complicate drinking water treatment efforts.

Assess Vulnerabilities

• Model anticipated climate changes to better understand expected climate vulnerabilities to water quality conditions.
• Work with water utilities and water resource managers to better assess expected performance of infrastructure and natural systems under changing climate conditions.
• Identify populations and communities that may be more vulnerable to these impacts due to existing vulnerabilities, such as pre-existing health concerns, sensitive life stages etc., or due to behavior, such as vulnerable locations used for swimming or fishing.
• Monitor current conditions to better evaluate baselines and inform future projections.

Air Quality & Public Health

Anticipate Climate Impacts and Assessing Vulnerabilities
Identify the scope of climate impacts to air quality and the associated potential health outcomes, specifically on vulnerable populations.

Anticipate Climate Impacts

Review the National Climate Assessment to better understand regional projections of climate risk

Climate change may cause a broad range of air quality-based public health concerns. Review the National Climate Assessment to better understand regional climate threats and potential climate risks. For a more in-depth analysis, utilize appropriate tools or expert assistance to downscale climate projections and better assess the anticipated range of climate risks for your community. Depending upon location and expected climate impacts the National Climate Assessment’s 2016 Climate and Health Assessment Report identifies these key climate risks:

• Exacerbated Ozone Health Impacts
  • Climate change will make it harder for any given regulatory approach to reduce ground-level ozone pollution in the future as meteorological conditions become increasingly conducive to forming ozone over most of the United States. Unless offset by additional emissions reductions, these climate-driven increases in ozone will cause premature deaths, hospital visits, lost school days, and acute respiratory symptoms.
• Increased Health Impacts from Wildfires
  • Wildfires emit fine particles and ozone precursors that in turn increase the risk of premature death and adverse chronic and
    

    SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

    SDGs Addressed in the Article:

    1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
    2. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
    3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
    4. SDG 13: Climate Action

    Targets Identified:

    • Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.
    • Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater, and increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.
    • Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.
    • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

    Indicators:

    • Indicator 3.9.1: Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution.
    • Indicator 6.3.2: Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality.
    • Indicator 11.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
    • Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.

    Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

    SDGs	Targets	Indicators
    SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being	Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.	Indicator 3.9.1: Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution.
    SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation	Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater, and increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.	Indicator 6.3.2: Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality.
    SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities	Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.	Indicator 11.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
    SDG 13: Climate Action	Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.	Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.

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    Source: epa.gov

     

    

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