THE MOUNTING HEALTH THREATS POSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE, both current and anticipated, are challenging public health professionals to constantly reassess their level of preparedness and, where appropriate, take bold actions, says Dr.

Jonah Lipsitt

HIGHER TEMPERATURES, extreme weather events, sea-level rise and more frequent outbreaks of vector and water-borne infectious diseases are among the effects of climate change that threaten the health of populations in many parts of the world. Few countries are as vulnerable to these effects as Bangladesh, where Dr.

BEYOND THEIR NATURAL BEAUTY, the wetlands along the Pacific and other coastal regions serve valuable purposes for animals and humans alike. Ecologically, they provide a natural habitat for wildlife, including many endangered species and commercial fish. Less appreciated is their public health and environmental protection role — from filtering our water to buffering coastal communities against the effects of storm surges and flooding.

UCLA’S SUSTAINABLE LA GRAND CHALLENGE aims to lead Los Angeles County into a future in which it obtains all of its energy from renewable resources by 2050 — a transition viewed as essential to the effort to slow the effects of climate change. And if any more incentive to fulfill the ambitious target is needed, a Fielding School-led study underway as part of the Grand Challenge will lay out the significant public health gains that are expected to result from replacing conventional fossil fuels with renewable energy.

THE CAMP FIRE that started on November 8, 2018 in Northern California’s Butte County burned through more than 150,000 acres and destroyed more than 18,000 structures over 17 days. Eighty-five lives were lost, making it the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history. The Woolsey Fire, which started the same day, blazed through nearly 100,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, destroying more than 1,600 structures and forcing the evacuation of nearly 300,000 people.

BACK WHEN HE WAS A GRADUATE STUDENT, Jisung Park concluded that the insufficient urgency in addressing climate change was due in part to the way the issue was depicted.

CLIMATE CHANGE is already jeopardizing health and well-being in the U.S. and abroad, and is projected to become a greater public health threat in the decades to come. The World Health Organization has outlined some of the key ways in which climate change affects health. As the examples in this issue demonstrate, Fielding School faculty, students and alumni are leading efforts to protect populations against this developing crisis.