Human health

Global climate models project changes in precipitation patterns, drought, flooding, and sea-level rise, and an increase in the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme heat events throughout the Southwest. The challenge for the protection of public health is to characterize how these climate events may influence health and to establish plans for mitigating and responding to the health impacts. However, the effects of climate change on health vary across the region, by population, and by disease system, making it difficult to establish broad yet concise health promotion messages that are useful for developing adaptation and mitigation plans. Techniques are increasingly available to quantify the health effects resulting from climate change and to move forward into predictions that are of sufficient resolution to establish policy guidelines. Strides are being made in assigning cost to both the positive and negative effects on health of proposed climate-mitigation strategies or the lack thereof. As a result, more tools are available for cities and states to develop mitigation and adaptation plans that are specifically tailored to their populations.