Climate change in Alaska is transforming ecosystems, harming fisheries, and exacerbating health disparities. The direct impacts threaten public infrastructure and traditional access to foods, as well as present diseases emerging from melting permafrost, ocean acidification, and extreme storms.
The June session of Hot Topics in Practice will provide an overview of the impacts climate change has had on rural communities in Alaska. Of the 200 rural communities scattered across 665,000 square miles, 144 communities have been identified as “environmentally threatened”. The session will cover the unmet needs of these villages and will highlight initiatives to combat the effects of climate change, such as One Health.
In this hour-long webinar, Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer, Iñupiaq, Director of Climate Initiatives, will explain how receding glaciers, rising sea levels, increasing temperatures, permafrost thaw, and other influences are impacting Alaska's rural and indigenous populations. The presenter will also discuss strategies to protect these communities. By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to identify climate threats to public health in rural Alaska and have a better understanding of the inequities with processes for state and federal funding and resources.
Register today to learn about how climate change is affecting Alaska’s rural and indigenous communities and steps you can take to combat this environmental injustice.
Climate Change and Public Health: Alaska on the Frontlines
Date: June 25, 2024, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. (Pacific)
Intended Audiences
Local, state, and tribal public health practitioners
Presenter
Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer, Iñupiaq
Director of Climate Initiatives, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
About Hot Topics in Practice
Hot Topics in Practice is a monthly webinar forum to discuss issues affecting public health practice.
Up to 1 CPH recertification credit may be earned by viewing this webinar. Visit the National Board of Public Health Examiners to learn more.