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As our planet’s climate shifts, so too does the health of its inhabitants. Rising temperatures, wildfires, and worsening air quality are environmental AND public health concerns.
With a new $3.69 million grant, the Research and Engagement for Action in Climate and Health (REACH) Center is set to tackle the urgent intersection of climate change and public health in the nation’s capital. George Mason University is part of a team of institutions that includes George Washington University (GWU), Howard University (HU), and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), working on environmental health innovation. The REACH Center will be directed from GWU by Susan Anenberg, professor and chair of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at GWU.
Lucas Henneman, an assistant professor in the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering at George Mason, said, “The big thrust is that there's all this useful data out there that can be used to better protect public health from impacts of climate change, but how do we make that data useful to stakeholders like researchers, community groups, and local governments?”
The co-location of these entities in the D.C. region allows them to work with the federal and regional governments, as well as other experts in public health and big data.
Henneman is leading a research project within the center studying climate policy in Washington, D.C. He’ll look at congestion pricing—charging a toll for vehicles traveling into a central part of the city—and the impacts on air pollution and local health. The D.C. government previously showed interest in such policies, and Henneman is working with researchers at George Mason and GWU along with a transportation advocacy group called Greater Greater Washington, who have deep ties in the D.C. government and interested community groups.
The REACH Center will also look broadly at the implication of health and climate data. “How do you process air pollution and public health information in a way that can be useful for different stakeholders,” said Henneman. “In D.C., for example, you have wards, neighborhoods, and census tracts, and you might have different amounts of data in each of those geographies and different stakeholders would want to see information about their locations. So, how do we interpret the outcome of a policy on these different geographic boundaries?”
Daniel Tong, associate professor and director of the Cooperative Institute of Satellite and Earth System Studies at George Mason, is co-directing REACH’s Exposure Assessment Core. He gave an example of how even far-flung incidents can affect local populations, and why it’s important to understand this impact. “Rising temperature and droughts bring more wildfire smoke and every-day air pollution to cities like Washington, D.C. It is critical to measure how these changes harm people’s health. The exposure core will leverage George Mason’s world-renowned expertise in atmospheric and climate sciences to support health researchers and practitioners to understand these impacts.”
Jim Kinter, professor, director of the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies, and director of the Virginia Climate Center at George Mason, sits on the REACH internal advisory board. He said, “Climate change is having negative impacts on public health, and projected future climate changes will only exacerbate those effects, most acutely felt in underserved communities. The REACH Center serves a vital role in making data and information more accessible, more effective, and more useful for conducting research and co-producing equitable solutions to advance public health resilience. With George Mason experts working across several disciplines the Center has a unique and powerful capability to transform research and applications in public health, and the emphasis on community engagement will help translate findings into practical solutions.” Jenna Krall, associate professor in the School of Public Health, also brings expertise to the project, further emphasizing the interdisciplinary aspects.
Henneman noted that REACH is a launchpoint for NIH’s efforts to build research capacity, with a goal of funding more research on climate and health. In the long-run, this could mean more opportunities for George Mason researchers to study how regulations can consider the intersection of climate change and health.