2015 Articles

New York City Panel on Climate Change 2015 ReportChapter 5: Public Health Impacts and Resiliency

Kinney, Patrick L.; Matte, Thomas; Knowlton, Kim M.; Petkova, Elisaveta P.; Madrigano, Jaime; Weinberger, Kate; Quinn, Ashlinn; Arend, Mark; Pullen, Julie

Recent experience from Hurricane Sandy and high temperature episodes has clearly demonstrated that the health of New Yorkers can be compromised by extreme coastal storms and heat events. Health impacts that can result from exposure to extreme weather events include direct loss of life, increases in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and compromised mental health. Other related health stressors—such as air pollution, pollen, and vector-borne, water-borne, and food-borne diseases— can also be influenced by weather and climate. Although New York City is one of the best prepared and most climate-resilient cities in the world, there remain significant potential vulnerabilities related to climate variability and change. As part of the NPCC2 process, a team of local climate and health specialists was mobilized to assess current vulnerabilities and to identify strategies that could enhance the resilience of New York City to adverse health impacts from climate events. The goal was to highlight some of the important climate-related health challenges that New York City is currently facing or may face in the future due to climate variability and change, based on emerging scientific understanding.