Abstract
Climate change is thought to be one of the greatest public health threats of the 21st century and there has been a tremendous growth in the published literature describing the health implications of climate change over the last decade. Yet, there remain several critical knowledge gaps in this field. Closing these gaps is crucial to developing effective interventions to minimize the health risks from climate change. In this commentary, we discuss policy trends that have influenced the advancement of climate change and health research in the United States context. We then enumerate specific knowledge gaps that could be addressed by policies to advance scientific research. Finally, we describe tools and methods that have not yet been fully integrated into the field, but hold promise for advancing the science. Prioritizing this advancement offers the potential to improve public health-related policies on climate change.
Highlights
Public Health 2021, 18, Climate change is described as the biggest global health threat of the 21st century [1], with some estimates that it could lead to approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year by 2050 [2] and kill more people globally than all infectious diseases [3]
There is a policy window in the U.S to advance the science on climate change and health, while centering equity in this work
Several critical questions and uncertainties remain to better understand and help prevent or reduce the health risks associated with climate change, and to better understand the effectiveness of different intervention strategies
Summary
The health risks posed by climate change are wide-ranging, including a wider distribution of infectious diseases, increased water and food insecurity, declining air quality, increased magnitude and frequency of extreme heat and other weather events, and population displacement [1,4,5]. There have been several notable initiatives enacted, namely through the issuance of executive orders related to climate change, the establishment of new federal offices, and a spending request to Congress to allocate funding towards climate change, with an emphasis on environmental justice These developments bring significant potential to advance climate change and health policies in the U.S, as well as an opportunity to build momentum and demonstrate the return of these federal-level investments on population health outcomes. Public Health 2021, 18, 7868 have influenced investments in and the advancement of climate change and health research in the U.S, describe specific remaining research gaps that could be targeted by the renewed enthusiasm for mitigating and adapting to climate change within the current federal policy context, and discuss tools and methods that hold promise for closing these gaps in knowledge
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