1. Tina Hoover, MPH, RD, LD Nanna Cross, PhD, RD, LDN

2. What impact does weather have on  1. Food availability and choice?  2. Nutrition and health of affected populations?

3. Food for Thought According to Siikamaki, (2006) “Agriculture is frequently discussed in the context of climate change: not only is agriculture vulnerable to climate change, it is also part of the problem and its potential solutions.” - Siikamaki, Juha. (2006). Climate Change and U.S. Agriculture. Examining the Connections. Environment, pg(s). 36-49.

4. Ebi, K.L. et. al. (2006). Environmental Health Perspectives. 114:1318-1324.

5. What are the current environmental stresses and issues that form the backdrop for potential additional impacts of climate variability and change?

8. Definitions  Climate  Climate variability  Climate change  Adaptation  Adaptive Capacity

9. Define Climate  Average state of atmosphere and underlying land or water in a particular region over a specific time period

10. Define climate variability  Variation around the mean climate  Seasonal variations  Irregular events –-El Nino

11. Define climate change  Change occurs over decades or longer  Occurs as result of natural variability within climate systems  Caused by human factors

12. Define Adaptation  Strategies, policies and measures undertaken to reduce potential adverse health effects

13. Define Adaptive Capacity  General ability of institutions, systems, and individuals to:  adjust to potential damages  take advantage of opportunities  cope with the consequences

14. Health Outcome Categories  Temperature related morbidity & mortality  Extreme weather events  Air pollution  Water & food borne diseases  Vector and rodent-borne diseases

15. Impact of climate change on human health  Which three groups of individuals are most vulnerable to adverse impacts of changing climate?

16. Temperature related Morbidity & Mortality Which geographic region is at highest risk? Which socioeconomic factors increase the risk?

17. Extreme Weather Events  Give six examples of extreme weather events?  Give examples of physical and mental health outcomes in response to extreme weather?

18. Air Pollution Give three examples of air pollution as a result of climate change and variability

19. Water & Food-Borne Diseases Excessive precipitation may exceed capacity for treating waste water and sewage (sewage overflow)

20. Vector & Rodent-Borne Disease  Mosquito borne illness (West Nile virus)  Ticks – Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease  Rodents - hantavirus

21. Does the US have the capacity to adapt to extremes in weather to prevent negative health outcomes?

22. How May Ecological Changes Affect Agriculture/Food Production?

23.  Heat Stress w/ rising temps– crops, livestock  Increased pests, disease, weeds  Some crops more sensitive to rising temps (tomatoes– e.g.)  Altered Food Webs (e.g. polluted waters- marine food webs)

24.  Drought/Flooding: (extreme weather events) Soil moisture/erosion, evaporation  Water pollution (i.e. agricultural run-off)  Pollution levels (soil & H20)  Increased pests, disease, weeds  Altered Food Webs (e.g. polluted waters- marine food webs)

25. Short-Term Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture  Some crops– may improve growing conditions - however, with continued temp increase (esp. Southern regions) some crops may not adapt. - Northern regions may benefit most (since tend to be cooler.) e.g. longer growing season opportunity. -- Possible to grow new crops/different crops.

26. Long Term Effects & Climate Change  Long-term effects of climate change are not fully understood.  Difficult to predict.

27. How Modern Agriculture Impacts the Climate  GHG emissions (burning of fossil fuels, manure, food transportation– e.g.)  Significant user of H20 resources.  Significant user of land resources.  Livestock– methane emissions, sig user of H20 and grain.  Factory Farming- e.g. (produce large amount of GHG )

28. Are there Alternative Solutions/Opportunities?

29.  GMO’s– e.g. resistant to drought/flooding  Increase irrigation efficiency  Agriculture & Forests = GHG “sinks”  Methane capture “tanks”  Improved fertilization practices– e.g. timing  Focus on locally produced foods– e.g. Farmers Markets

30. References  Backlund, P., Janetos, A., and Schimel, D. Executive Summary: The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity, pages 1-10. -Retrieved from: http://www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/files/CCSPFinalReport.pdf http://www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/files/CCSPFinalReport.pdf  Ebi, KL, Mills, D.M., Smith, J.B., Grambsch, A. (2006) Climate change and human health impacts in the United States: An update on the results of the U.S. National Assessment. Environmental Health Perspectives. 114:1318-1324.

31. References  Interdependent Working Group on Climate Change. (2008). Climate Change and Food Security. A Framework Document. Summary. Rome: Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (FAO). Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/k2595e/k2595e00.htm http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/k2595e/k2595e00.htm  Siikamaki, J. (2006). Climate Change and U.S. Agriculture: Examining the Connections. Environment, pgs. 36-49.