The Water, Climate and Health program at UNMC is among a handful of sites across the country hosting a regional launch event for the 2020 Lancet Countdown Report on Health and Climate Change.
Water, Climate and Health Program Director Jesse Bell, PhD, will present findings of a case study he co-authored with Rachel Lookadoo, JD, director of legal and public health preparedness in the Center for Preparedness Education in the UNMC College of Public Health, and Chris Dethlefs, a second-year medical student at UNMC.
Their case study is part of the regional launch event for the 2020 Lancet Countdown Report taking place virtually on Feb. 19 from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Dr. Bell, Lookadoo and Dethlefs are among 120 world-leading experts who took part in examining indicators of climate change for the 2020 Lancet Countdown Report on Health and Climate Change.
The Lancet Countdown is hosted by University College London and works with more than 35 partners around the world to track and understand the link between climate change and health. It is published annually in The Lancet, with strategic and financial support from the Wellcome Trust.
“The ultimate goal is for Nebraskans to understanding how changes in climate are already impacting our communities and how we can build resilience,” said Dr. Bell.
The UNMC case study examined the health impacts of the 2019 floods in Nebraska. That spring, the Midwest region endured historic flooding that caused widespread damage to millions of acres of farmland, killing livestock, inundating cities and destroying infrastructure to the tune of $10.9 billion in economic losses.
“The 2019 floods demonstrated that climate change is not just a coastal issue, but a very real threat to the Midwest,” Lookadoo said. “By connecting with public health and health care entities across the state, we can help Nebraska communities prepare for these types of extreme climate events.”