Senate Office of Research Issues Paper on Public Health Impacts of Climate Change

The California Senate Office of Research, the nonpartisan office charged with serving the research needs of the California State Senate, issued a paper on Monday titled, “The Public Health Impacts of Climate Change in California.” The report was prepared at the request of Senator Ricardo Lara and compiles a number of notable sources of international, national, and state research and data related to climate change.

Included in the report is an overview of the state of climate change in California, potential human health impacts of climate change, and state entities involved in tracking and analyzing climate change and human health. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), among others, were identified as state agencies supporting studies and developing policies and strategies to limit health risks of climate change. The report concludes by highlighting a recommendation from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) encouraging greater involvement from public health experts and practitioners in addressing climate change effects, particularly in non-health sectors such as energy, food and agriculture, transportation, and urban planning. The full Senate Office of Research report is available here.