University of Washington researchers to study impacts of climate change on health in the Pacific Northwest

Climate change will have serious and long-term consequences for public health, with effects that will vary from community to community across the country.

To help learn more about the effects, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have awarded researchers at the University of Washington nearly one million dollars over the next three years. Scientists will evaluate the impact of climate change on human health in the Pacific Northwest, work with local communities to study health risks that will likely occur in the next 35 years and uncover how communities might mitigate those risks.

"The information people hear about health impacts of climate change tends to be broad and without solid evidence," said Dr. Richard Fenske, professor and acting chairman in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. "The public is told that these health impacts are occurring or are likely to occur in the near future. And the claims leave the public apprehensive, but with no clear direction on how to prepare."

Elizabeth Sharpe [email protected]

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