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Climate Services for Coping with Climate Change, Drought, and
Extreme Heat in the México-U.S. Border Region
Workshop participants identified five key challenges and research
needs:
1. Translation of climate and health research into
evidence-driven interventions and actionable strategies;
2. Co-production of discipline-specific environmental
and health information to support decisions on all
timescales;
3. Improved risk communication strategies to inform all
populations of the public health risks of extreme heat,
and to inspire behavior changes that reduce risks;
4. Enhanced coordination and communication among
emergency management entities; and
5. Improved public health surveillance and monitoring,
coupled with improved climate prediction skill, at
timescales from weeks to interannual.
At the workshop, participants gathered into groups, based on five
focal areas previously identified by NIHHIS leaders. Each group
identified strengths, opportunities, knowledge gaps, research
needs, and potential collaborators, and they proposed strategies
and actions. Below is a selection of insights and recommendations
from the groups.
Historical Climatology and Vulnerability
. Participants identified
vulnerability assessment, and data synthesis and analysis, as
key priorities for further actions to improve understanding of
extreme heat risks. In particular, they specified a critical need
to quantify regional vulnerabilities of diverse populations, and
to develop indicators and metrics of heat-related illnesses, with a
focus on populations identified as vulnerable (e.g., infants, elderly,
mentally ill). They noted the value of developing mutually agreed
upon, region-specific vulnerability assessment criteria, based on
common data, assessment indicators, methods, and mapping.
