Your Health and a Changing Climate: Newsletter - Volume 2

Funding and Partnerships

NOAA Funding Cut

The US President's FY2005 budget includes a reduction of approximately US $9 million to the Climate and Global Change Program. The reduction eliminates three social science oriented programs including the Health and Climate Variability Program and encompasses all of NOAA's open competition social science application programs.

>>> For further information, see
www.ogp.noaa.gov/mpe/csi/econhd/index.htm

Canadian and Chinese Governments Cooperate on Climate Change

On May 17 to 19, 2004, Canadian scientists attended an international conference in Li Jiang in eastern China, entitled² Climate Change - Building the Adaptive CapacityÓ. It was co-sponsored by the Canadian and Chinese governments under the provisions of a binational cooperative agreement on building the adaptive capacity on climate change, which was signed in October 2003.

The conference was held to share recent research results and developments in climate change impact and adaptation science, management, and policy in the two countries and in other parts of the world. The delegation was financed by the Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Program of the Canadian government. The conference participants reported on development and use of climate change scenarios, on assessing climate trends and ecosystem responses to environmental changes, on assessing vulnerability to climate change, and on the development and use of regional and sectoral adaptation policies and strategies, including social responses.

Dr. Dieter Riedel of the Climate Change and Health Office of Health Canada was the only representative of a health agency invited to attend this conference. He gave a talk on public health considerations related to climate change, which was well received, and which is to be adapted by Chinese colleagues for presentations to decision makers.

The Adaptation and Impacts Research Group of the Meteorological Service of Canada is preparing a report on the conference, to be published in 2005.

>>> For more information, contact Dr. Peter Berry at peter_berry@hc-sc.gc.ca

1st National Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Conference

Adapting to Climate Change in Canada 2005:
Understanding Risks and Building Capacity
Watch for more details in upcoming newsletters