Arizona Extreme Weather, Climate and Health Profile Report

From the Arizona State University and the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) the Extreme Weather, Climate and Health Profile Report aims to address and plan for the Arizona’s climate-related health impacts. Through the report, the state initiated a climate and health adaptation planning process known as BRACE (Building Resilience Against Climate Effects), a framework developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide local health officials with a mechanism for addressing and adapting to climate-related public health effects. This report meets the first of the CDC’s five-step BRACE framework. The purpose of the first step, and this report, is to assess the projected climate-related public health impacts in Arizona and provide public health resilience strategies and recommendations for ADHS. The report primarily focuses on the health impact of air pollution and rising temperatures, and how ADHS will utilize state resources to address these two major climate-related health impacts.

The report summarizes past climate trends and future projections for the State of Arizona. The most severe predicted climate shifts for the state include an increase in annual air temperature and air pollution. More frequent and severe high temperatures are estimated to increase the concentrations of air pollutants, such as ozone, which consequently will increase the prevalence of lung diseases throughout the state. The report also provides indicators of certain populations’ vulnerability to heat and air pollution. The indices are based on the California Department of Public Health’s Climate Change Population Vulnerability Screen Tool’s vulnerability scale as well as environmental factors, including land use type and air quality.

Section four of the report, Vulnerability Analysis, describes the vulnerable populations that ADHS will take into consideration when implementing climate adaptation efforts. The section outlines how certain populations are more vulnerable to climate-related health impacts than other groups, whether it is due to ethnicity/race, socioeconomic status, age, location, or occupation.

The department identified that people of color, the elderly, and infants are some of the most vulnerable when it comes to extreme heat events and heat-related illnesses. Elderly and youth populations, groups who live in poverty or near roadways, as well as outdoor workers exposed to air pollution, are the most vulnerable to developing air pollution-related illnesses.

 

The report  also outlines collaborations and key partnerships needed to implement CDC’s BRACE framework in Arizona. A discussion of climate planning limitations is included, as well as the next steps needed to continue implementing the BRACE framework in the state. Future steps include a more in-depth mapping and ranking of climate-related impact vulnerability, as well as estimating projected climate-related disease burdens in the state.

 

Publication Date: March 2015

Related Organizations:

  • Arizona State University
  • Arizona Department of Health Services

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  • Assessment

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