Climate Change and Health: Indicators and Pathways was a live event on April 15, 2022, hosted by Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania (PSR PA).

→ Join the discussion and watch at network.hatltheharm.net

The influences of weather and climate on human health are varied and increasingly alarming. Exposure to health hazards related to climate change has the capacity to affect all individuals physical and mental health and may do so by harming air, water, food and shelter on which they rely. The frequency, severity, duration, and location of weather and climate phenomena – like rising temperatures, heavy rains and droughts – are changing. This means that areas already experiencing health-threatening weather and climate phenomena are likely to experience worsening impacts. In this regard, socially and economically disadvantaged communities face the greatest risks.

Climate Change and Health: Indicators and Pathways focused on mental health and wellbeing, the built environment and populations of concern, and social and health inequities.

This virtual event was open to health professionals and the general public. ​

The speakers included: Julie Grant, Managing Editor, Allegheny Front; Gary Belkin, MD, PhD, MPH, Founder, Billion Minds Institute; Alice Thompson, Founder, Visible Hands Collaborative; Lorna Rosenberg, Program Manager, Women for a Healthy Environment; Katherine Crowe, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, HARBOR; HEET; Zeyneb Magavi, Co-Executive Director, HEET; Esther Obonyo, PhD, Director, Global Building Network, Penn State University.

CHAPTERS

* Climate Change and the Burden on Mental Health: Alice Thompson, Dr. Gary Belkin, Julie Grant. Moderated by Katherine Crowe, PhD. https://youtu.be/yvhL2rYXbEI?t=168

* Climate Change and Children’s Health, Lorna Rosenberg and Katherine Crowe, PhD, https://youtu.be/yvhL2rYXbEI?t=3888 * The GeoGrid: Efficient and Equitable Electrification, HEET – Zeyneb Magreb, https://youtu.be/yvhL2rYXbEI?t=8106

* Enhancing the Resilience of Low-Income Housing in the Post-Covid World – Esther Obonyo, PhD, https://youtu.be/yvhL2rYXbEI?t=11502

A range of disasters, including flood, hurricane, typhoons, violent storms, earthquakes, collapsed infrastructure, and pandemic, pose the greatest threat to the poor and most vulnerable in society as they are more likely to live in homes that are more vulnerable to the impact of these disasters. Reliance on ‘hard’ engineering and infrastructure solutions alone cannot solve this problem. This presentation discussed on-going research work that is directed at developing a framework that integrates the roles of human, social and natural capital in reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience. The aim was to identify viable pathways for improved resilience for particularly vulnerable, low-income housing communities. PSR PA partnered with Halt the Harm Network to bring you this event.