Courses at The University of Chicago

Climate Change and Human Health

PBHS 31720 (CEGU 21720/CEGU 31720)
Offered Fall Quarter

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Climate change is one of the greatest global health threats facing the world in the 21st century. Temperatures around the globe have risen steadily since the 1970s, resulting in increases in extreme heat events, rising sea levels, storm intensity, and droughts. These environmental changes have downstream impacts on public health via catastrophic winds and floods, deadly heat waves, population displacement, crop failures and food insecurity, altered ecology of infectious organisms, and more intense air pollution and pollen. These effects are not being felt uniformly across the world, with vulnerable communities disproportionately bearing the brunt of climate exposures and associated health impacts. Non-industrialized regions with limited resources and adaptive capacity often face more severe consequences, exacerbating existing health disparities globally.

Through this course, students will gain foundational knowledge in the health effects of climate change. We will begin with several lectures on climate science as it related to the patterns of weather extremes experienced by populations. We will then identify the varying health outcomes linked to different climate-related exposures, emphasizing the specific impacts in vulnerable and high-risk populations. Specific topics include the effects of air pollution, extreme heat and heat waves, droughts, tropical cyclones, changes in vector habitats, and sea-level rise. Finally, we will discuss strategies for public health practitioners to aid communities in preventing or alleviating these adverse effects.
Prerequisites: PBHS 32100 or STAT 22000 or introductory statistics

Please reach out to Dr. Burrows with questions or for a sample syllabus.