Heidi Brown - November CLIMAS Colloquium: A Southwest Perspective on Climate Change and Health

Heidi Brown's (University of Arizona) presentation at the November CLIMAS Colloquium on November 22, 2013.

Title: “A Southwest Perspective on Climate Change and Health”

While there are generalizations that can be made about the effect climate change will have on health, these effects will vary by community. This talk focuses on the Southwest and some of the health concerns that communities here may face, what actions are being done and what can be done. Brown will delve into the complexity that is climate change and health by focusing on an effort to predict future mosquito borne disease burden. Using a dynamic simulation model, she was able to estimate the number of West Nile virus vectors at different locations across the US under future climate scenarios. Her findings highlight the importance of local action as the changes in vector abundance are not consistent across locations.