The Virtual 2024 Connecticut Symposium on Climate Change and Health: "Preparing for a Healthy Connecticut in the Face of Climate Change"

Registration now open!

Climate change poses an urgent challenge and opportunity for public health preparedness in Connecticut and around the world. Faced with growing climate-related health risks from heat, extreme events, vector-borne diseases, and air pollution, Connecticut is taking action to ensure all residents are safe, healthy, and resilient in a changing climate. Join the inaugural Connecticut Symposium on Climate Change and Health to learn about the health impacts of climate change in Connecticut and how the state is rising to the challenge through evidence-based initiatives, strategic partnerships, and multisectoral collaboration – and how you can get involved.

Agenda

Welcome

Lisa Morrissey – Deputy Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Public Health

Opening remarks

Susan Bysiewicz – Lt. Governor of Connecticut

Overview of climate and health challenges and opportunities in CT

Jennifer Wang – Executive Director, Yale Center on Climate Change and Health

Building climate and health resilience in states and cities

• Hannah Beath – Director, Office of Climate and Health, Connecticut Department of Public Health
• Kat Sisler – Health Scientist, National Center for Environmental Health’s Climate and Health Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Jared Ulmer – Climate & Health Program Manager, Vermont Department of Health

Evidence and recommendations to protect Connecticut residents from vector-borne diseases, extreme heat, and air pollution

• Goudarz Molaei – Chief Scientist & Department Head, Department of Entomology, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
• Kai Chen – Director of Research and Deputy Faculty Director, Yale Center on Climate Change and Health

Discussion / Q&A

Who should attend?

While the 2024 Connecticut Symposium on Climate Change and Health welcomes a broad audience, the following groups are especially encouraged to attend:

• People working in public health (including health department directors and staff) and health care

• People working in emergency management, social services, education, and planning and development

• People working at regional planning agencies

• Members of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3) and its subcommittees and working groups

• Members of the Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council (CEEJAC) and its subcommittees

• Students from Connecticut and nearby colleges, public health schools, medical schools, and other health schools

• Researchers, journalists, and advocates interested in climate change and health

• People and community-based organizations from communities particularly affected by climate change and concerned about environmental justice

Background

According to the Fifth National Climate Assessment published in 2023, climate change is already harming human health, and climate-related hazards will continue to grow, increasing morbidity and mortality across all regions of the U.S. In Connecticut, a 2020 report by the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health analyzed 19 indicators related to climate change and health, noting concerning trends in the domains of temperature, extreme events, infectious diseases, and air quality. The report concludes that, “to protect human health, Connecticut must expand its work to prepare for and adapt to the climate change impacts that are already occurring and will worsen in the future.”

The 2024 Connecticut Symposium on Climate Change and Health is hosted by the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health in collaboration with the Office of Climate and Health at the Connecticut Department of Public Health. The Office of Climate and Health has a five-year cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to implement the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework in Connecticut. The 2024 Symposium is the first in a series of annual convenings to consider the health impacts of climate Change in Connecticut, discuss progress, share lessons on BRACE activities in Connecticut, and identify future priorities and collaborations to ensure a healthy Connecticut in the face of climate change.

The Symposium will be held on Zoom and is free and open to all. Register now!