Description:

Human health is increasingly impacted by changes in the structure and function of Earth’s natural systems. Reflecting increasing concern and awareness of these trends, the number of published articles on climate and health has grown dramatically – an annual increase of 23% between 2012 and 2021 (Bartlett et al. 2024). The emerging paradigm of Planetary Health (akin also to NOAA’s One Health) seeks to address the need for transdisciplinary research to better understand the social and environmental drivers of ill health, quantify uncertainty in such connections, and understand time lags between action and progress to inform implementation of interventions. This session will consider advances in research to quantify or understand direct, mediated or indirect health effects from ecosystem changes or impairments resulting from the interaction between the changing climate and one or more of the following: ocean acidification, land degradation, water scarcity, over exploitation of fisheries, biodiversity loss, freshwater depletion or contamination, urbanization, wetland loss, and forest clearing. We particularly welcome submissions of novel inter- or multi-disciplinary research in climate and health. Presenters will be encouraged to comment not only on the research outcomes but also their team structure and genesis of any interdisciplinary collaboration. We seek to facilitate a space in which people from health, weather, water, and climate disciplines can meet, exchange information, and set the groundwork for future interdisciplinary work advancing planetary health understanding and solutions.