Climate and Population Health Vulnerabilities to Vector-Borne Diseases: Increasing Resilience Under Climate Change Conditions in Africa

Pietro Ceccato1, Kyle C McDonald2, Erika Podest3, Manuel de la Torre Juarez4, Andrew Kruczkiewicz5, Jerrod Lessel1, Kat Jensen6 and Madeleine C Thomson1, (1)International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, United States, (2)City University of New York - City College, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, New York, United States, (3)NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States, (4)NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, United States, (5)Columbia University, International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Palisades, NY, United States, (6)Muon Space, Mountain View, United States
Abstract:
The International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), the City University of New York (CUNY) and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in collaboration with NASA SERVIR are developing tools to monitor climate variables (precipitation, temperature, vegetation, water bodies, inundation) that help projects in Africa to increase resilience to climate change for vector-borne diseases (i.e. malaria, trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, and schistosomiasis). Through the development of new products to monitor precipitation, water bodies and inundation, IRI, CUNY and JPL provide tools and capacity building to research communities, ministries of health and World Health Organization in Africa to:

1) Develop research teams’ ability to appropriately use climate data as part of their research

2) Enable research teams and ministries to integrate climate information into social and economic drivers of vulnerability and opportunities for adaptation to climate change

3) Inform better policies and programs for climate change adaptation.

This oral presentation will demonstrate how IRI, CUNY, and JPL developed new products, tools and capacity building to achieve the three objectives mentioned above.

Back to: Climate and Environmental Data, Information, and Knowledge for Societal Decision Making in the U.S. and International/SERVIR Regions I