From severe weather events, to water quality concerns, to the arrival of new vectors and vector-borne diseases, climate change is impacting human health right here in Connecticut. The Northeast is one of the fastest warming regions of the contiguous United States, and the impacts of climate change on public health are already evident.
These are among a few of the topics to be discussed in the Climate Change and Public Health Mini-webinar series that will run through the month of September. The series is a part of Resilient Connecticut, a large-scale climate planning project by the Connecticut Institute of Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA).
Starting on Tuesday, September 8, Resilient Connecticut will be hosting the first of six free webinars exploring various aspects of public health impacted by the changing climate in the region. Topics include equity, heat, vector-borne disease, recreational water, and emergency preparedness.
Joanna Wozniak-Brown, Assistant Director for Resilience Planning with CIRCA, will be moderating each webinar.
“We hope the format of a 45-minute webinar delivers the critical information in a condensed way. CIRCA is always looking for ways to communicate critical science in effective ways,” says Wozniak-Brown.
The series will be presented by experts from institutions across the Northeast, including UConn, Save the Sound, Yale Center on Climate Change and Health, and The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.
“When we considered a public health workshop (pre-pandemic), we had trouble narrowing down the topics that relate to climate change and public health. With a webinar series, we can cover a wide variety of topics and share to our YouTube channel for people to enjoy at their convenience later.”
Overall, the series is aimed at municipalities, health departments/districts, emergency preparedness professionals, and health advocates. However, there will be something for anyone who is looking to understand the impacts of climate change on public health.
“It may sound trite to say that climate change impacts our lives but, examining it through a public health lens, the devastating impacts on so many aspects of our lives becomes clear. This is especially true from an equity stand-point as communities of color are often burdened with a disproportionate share of the risks and consequences,” Wozniak-Brown says.
Register for one or all of the events here. If you can’t attend the live events, feel free to watch them on CIRCA’s YouTube channel at a later time. If you have any questions contact Dr. Wozniak-Brown at joanna.wozniak-brown [at] uconn.edu. To learn more about Resilient Connecticut and, please follow this link. Funding for this webinar presentation is provided by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Community Block Grant National Disaster Recovery Program, as administered by the State of Connecticut, Department of Housing.
