Theme: Disseminating Information about Climate and Health

Question for Discussion:

What are ways to expand routes of dissemination of information about climate and health? Consider 

• objectives of dissemination 
• target audiences, both professional and general public
• multiple media (newspapers, journals, television, internet)

This forum draws upon growing interest in disseminating information about climate and health. One major area of application is the potential use of seasonal climate forecasting to take action to mitigate disease. Another concern is the potential impact of climate change on health.

Reaching the professional audience relies on journal publications and websites. Here are some examples of dissemination to a general audience:

Studies of the impact of El Niño on malaria in Colombia by this collaborative research network have appeared in newspaper articles (see the Colombian networking page).

The conference on climate and health effects in the Caribbean that was held on Barbados in 2002 had a publicity campaign, including press releases on the web and print media as well as a press conference with keynote speakers (see Appendix 1 of the report). The English-language report was translated into Spanish in order to expand dissemination in the Americas. (See Publications 2003)

StormCenter.com packages environmental content for mass media using extensive background in television weathercasts and remote sensing. This group produces Envirocast Media Updates for use on the web and in television broadcasts.
http://www.stormcenter.com/media
The websites of television stations are another outlet. See an interactive website on the Chesapeake Bay watershed for the weather forecaster of a television station in Washington DC.
http://www.watershed.interactive-environment.com/main

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Diagnostics and prediction of climate variability and human health impacts in the tropical Americas