Office of Climate & Public Health

Preparing Connecticut for the health effects of climate change

The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) Office of Climate and Public Health works with partners throughout the state, including the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health, to implement actions that enhance health equity, increase resiliency, and ensure Connecticut communities are prepared for the health impacts of climate change. The Office of Climate and Public Health focuses on populations most vulnerable to the health effects of climate change and seeks to address social determinants of health in the context of climate change.

More extreme weather, warmer temperatures, degraded water and air quality, and sea level rise are examples of the climate challenges that the people of Connecticut face. These challenges have both direct and indirect negative effects that include increasing healthcare costs, worsening health outcomes, reducing quality of life, and exacerbated social inequities. Populations that are particularly vulnerable include people living with a disability or other chronic health conditions, people of low wealth, people of color, children, and the elderly. The social determinants of health are key factors affecting individual and community resilience to climate change impacts. 

Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their full health potential, and that no one should be disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of income, race, ethnicity, physical status, exposure to environmental contaminants, social position or other socially determined circumstance. The Connecticut Department of Public Health was awarded in 2021 a five-year cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to focus on the many ways climate change impacts health. DPH is one of two new recipients, with a total of 11 recipients nationwide supported by this award.    

Extreme Heat Resources

• CT DEMHS Extreme Heat and Cooling Centers
• Stay Cool, Stay Hydrated, and Stay Informed
• Warning Signs and Symptoms of Heat-Related Illness
• CDC Heat and Health Tracker

While anyone can be affected by extreme heat, some communities are disproportionately affected. This link provides information on how groups at higher risk of heat-related illness can stay safe during extreme heat events.

Learn more about climate change in Connecticut

• The Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3)
  • On Thursday, December 16, 2021 Governor Ned Lamont signed Executive Order No. 21-3 addressing the climate crisis using the full authority of the Executive Branch, informed by the recommendations of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3). The order establishes the first Office of Climate and Public Health (OCPH) in the Dept. of Public Health. On September 3, 2019, Governor Lamont issued Executive Order No. 3, re-establishing and expanding the membership and responsibilities of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change. In addition to continuing to address mitigation strategies to reduce greenhouse gases, the newly expanded GC3 also considers adaptation and resilience in the face of climate change impacts with a health equity focus. This action builds upon the 2011 Connecticut Climate Change Preparedness Plan.
  • The GC3, originally established in 2015 by Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s Executive Order No. 46, was formally tasked with examining the effectiveness of existing policies and regulations designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and identify new strategies to meet the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 80% below 2001 levels by 2050. The Council was also tasked with developing a mid-term greenhouse gas reduction and to identify strategies to achieve the chosen target. The Council submitted its recommendations on December 18, 2018 when it released the report Building a Low Carbon Future for Connecticut: Achieving a 45% GHG Reduction by 2030.
  • As part of the GC3, the Public Health and Safety Working Group, chaired by DPH, provided recommendations to address the health and safety impacts of climate change in the areas of extreme heat, air quality, vector-borne diseases, extreme events, water-borne illnesses, nutrition, food security and food safety, and mental health and well-being. The recommendations included a dedicated DPH climate and health program which is now called the Office of Climate and Public Health. In January 2021, the GC3 released the Phase 1 Report, Taking Action on Climate Change and Building a More Resilient Connecticut for All with near-term actions, including those recommended by the Public Health and Safety Working Group.
• Index of GC3 Public Health & Safety Working Group Report Domains
  • GC3 Public Health & Safety Working Group Domain: Extreme Heat
    • Heatwaves can lead to illness and death, particularly for those with pre-existing conditions and lack of cooling access. Shorter, milder winters create conditions for larger tick and mosquito populations that are active over a greater proportion of the year. Hurricanes, floods, and other extreme events create both direct health dangers as well as downstream impacts, including worsening of chronic conditions and mental health impacts. In response to these and related impacts, the GC3 Public Health and Safety Working Group identified the following public health domains.
      Average annual temperature in Connecticut has risen by over 3 °F since 1895. Rising temperatures due to climate change have significant human health effects. Heat stroke and heat exhaustion are two clinical manifestations of exposure to extreme heat. Higher average temperatures increase the probability for more extremely hot days. 
  • GC3 Public Health & Safety Working Group Domain: Air Quality
    • Three outdoor air pollutants are sensitive to climate change and of greatest concern in Connecticut. First, ground-level ozone is sensitive to increasing temperatures because it forms when ozone precursors (volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides) react with sunlight and heat. Ground-level ozone pollution levels in Connecticut have improved in recent years, thanks to the implementation of a number of emission reduction programs aimed at automobiles, fuels and stationary sources. Ground-level ozone is a strong lung irritant that can cause respiratory symptoms, asthma exacerbation, and premature death. Second, increased carbon dioxide emissions and higher temperatures are expected to worsen allergies by lengthening the pollen season and raising the amount of pollen produced by plants; of particular concern is increased levels of outdoor ragweed pollen, which causes the most common type of seasonal allergy, hay fever. Finally, wildfires are predicted to increase in intensity and frequency due to climate change. Although increasing risk of wildfire is primarily a concern for the western United States, smoke from wildfires can travel hundreds of miles, causing significant particulate matter pollution.
  • GC3 Public Health & Safety Working Group Domain: Vector-borne Diseases
    • Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) are parasitic, viral, bacterial, and filarial human illnesses that are mostly transmitted by arthropod vectors, including mosquitoes, ticks and fleas. VBDs are becoming a major public health concern in the United States. Persistently warming temperatures have provided an expanding geographic range for certain vectors and may also extend their active season. Tick-borne diseases of particular concern in Connecticut include Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and Powassan virus. Mosquito-borne diseases of concern include West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis.
  • GC3 Public Health & Safety Working Group Domain: Extreme Events
    • As the climate continues to warm, more heavy rainfall events are expected in Connecticut, particularly during the winter and spring. Summer droughts are expected to become more frequent. Sea level rise of 20 inches along Connecticut’s coast between 2000 and 2050 is projected. Atlantic hurricanes and coastal storms are expected to become more severe, with stronger winds and more precipitation. The health impacts of extreme events include both direct and indirect effects, including mental health impacts.
  • GC3 Public Health & Safety Working Group Domain: Water-borne Illnesses
    • Increased risk of water-related illness is expected under current climate change. Potential health impacts are driven by warming temperatures, increased annual precipitation with greater intensity, and increased potential for extreme events; these changes are expected both globally and in Connecticut. For instance, there is potential for health impacts due to infrastructure failure – at scales from individual residential wells and subsurface disposal systems (i.e., septic systems) to regional wastewater and drinking water treatment systems. Increased variability in precipitation is also anticipated to make drought periods more likely, impacting the availability of safe potable water from both groundwater and surface water sources. Warming temperatures will increase the occurrence and duration of cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms (HABs).
  • GC3 Public Health & Safety Working Group Domain: Nutrition, Food Security, and Food Safety
    • Extreme weather events can disrupt food distribution infrastructure, damage food supplies, and limit access to safe and healthy foods, even in areas not directly affected. As supplies decrease, food prices increase and encourage purchasing of high-energy, low-nutrient foods.
      Food safety and the incidence of foodborne disease have the potential to be greatly affected by some of the environmental variations associated with climate change. Changes in weather patterns can lead to severe events, such as flooding, drought conditions, and an increase in ambient air temperature and humidity; keeping the food we eat safe can becomes more difficult with these added factors.
      Exacerbation of existing health disparities for low income underserved communities are likely without interventions to ensure access to healthy foods and strengthening of food supply and distribution.
  • GC3 Public Health & Safety Working Group Domain: Mental Health and Well-being
    • Climate change is recognized to have profound effects on mental health and wellbeing. Mental health impacts are broad and range in severity from psychological distress to diagnosable conditions including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and can also contribute to increasing rates of suicide. Mental health impacts may arise from direct exposure to physical impacts of climate change such as floods and extreme heat. Other mental health issues are affected indirectly by climate challenges to human systems and infrastructure, such as impacts on food security, economic sectors, and human livelihood.
• Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) in Connecticut
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) Framework as an adaptive management approach for local and state health departments to use to address challenges that affect human health created by climate change.
  • The framework includes five steps:
  1. Identify the scope of climate impacts, their associated potential health outcomes, and the populations and locations vulnerable to these health impacts.
  2. Estimate or quantify the additional burden of health outcomes associated with climate change to guide decision making.
  3. Identify the most suitable health interventions for the identified health impacts of greatest concern.
  4. Develop and implement an adaptation plan (strategy) that reflects the needs of diverse communities, working with partners to regularly update the plan, focusing on health equity and social determinants of health.
  5. Evaluate the processes used for each project and determine the value of the information attained and activities implemented for each, as it pertains to reducing health risks.
  • The Connecticut Department of Public Health is one of eleven BRACE recipients throughout the country. Working with partners such as the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health, CT DPH has developed an action plan to address key health effects of climate change in Connecticut. The overarching goal of DPH’s climate and health efforts is to minimize health threats and build capacity within the state to prepare for climate change. DPH’s BRACE grant focuses on adaptation actions to address impaired air quality and extreme heat, but other work will also be undertaken by the DPH Office of Climate and Public Health.
  • The Connecticut BRACE projects include:
  • Adaptation Action #1: Develop and implement an educational program for teachers, school nurses, administrators, and other school personnel in socially vulnerable communities to reduce student exposure to extreme heat and ozone events.
  • Adaptation Action #2: Develop guidance for local heat and air quality response plans (including alerts and communication strategies) and support local implementation through trainings and capacity building.
• Local Health Department Partnerships
  • Local Health Departments will have the opportunity to play a major role in implementing climate adaptation actions and build valuable partnerships with other organizations in their communities to make this work as effective as possible, with health equity as the mission.

Climate and Health in the News

• Executive Order No. 21-3

DPH Resources

• State Water Plan
• Drinking Water Vulnerability Assessment and Resilience Plan
• Interagency Drought Workgroup
• Water Utility Coordinating Committees
• Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program
• Water Planning Council

Climate and Health Resources

• Resilient Connecticut (uconn.edu)
• Connecticut Institute for Resilience & Climate Adaptation (CIRCA)
• Climate Change and Health in Connecticut: 2020 Report
• Extreme Heat in Connecticut: A Yale Center on Climate Change and Health Issue Brief
• The Air Quality Health Benefits of Climate Action in Connecticut: A Yale Center on Climate Change and Health Issue Brief
• Extreme Events and Health in Connecticut: A Yale Center on Climate Change and Health Issue Brief
• GC3 Public Health Safety Final Report (ct.gov)
• 2021 Near Term Action Report
• 2011 Climate Report
• DEEP: Climate Change (ct.gov)
• The Transportation and Climate Initiative Program (ct.gov)
• Environmental Curriculum - Climate Change (ct.gov)
• Climate Action Timeline for Connecticut
• CT DEMHS Extreme Heat and Cooling Centers

Contact Us

• Email: DPH.Climate@ct.gov