Below is a list of selected research publications from the HATS Faculty Network that cover our core themes in Climate Change and Adaptation, Global Health, Hazard Forecasting, Global Environmental Change, Food Security, and Disaster Knowledge Management.
Participation and Engagement of Public Health Stakeholders in Climate and Health Adaptation
Stakeholder participation at the intersection of climate and health is essential to assess and plan for the human health impacts of current and projected climate-sensitive hazards. Using the Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) Coalition on Climate Change and Public Health workgroup and the Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS) program as examples, this paper describes the important role of scientist–public health stakeholder collaboratives in addressing the public health impacts of climate-sensitive hazards.
Sorting over flood risk and implications for policy reform
Do individuals sort across flood risk? This paper applies a boundary discontinuity design to a residential sorting model to provide novel estimates of sorting across flood risk by race, ethnicity, and income. We find clear evidence that low-income and minority residents are more likely to move into high-risk flood zones. We then highlight the overall and distributional implications of proposed price and information reforms to the U.S. National Flood Insurance Program. While such reforms are likely welfare increasing overall, heterogeneous behavioral responses yield significant distributive effects that also alter the composition of residents in harm's way.
Conservation Agriculture and Climate Resilience.
Agricultural productivity growth is vital for economic and food security outcomes which are threatened by climate change. In response, governments and development agencies are encouraging the adoption of ‘climate-smart' agricultural technologies, such as conservation agriculture (CA).
Spatial scale in environmental risk mapping: A valley fever case study.
Valley fever is a fungal infection occurring in desert regions of the U.S. and Central and South America. Environmental risk mapping for this disease is hampered by challenges with detection, case reporting, and diagnostics as well as challenges common to spatial data handling.
Dengue virus, primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquito, has rapidly expanded in geographic extent over the past several decades. In some areas, however, dengue fever has not emerged despite established Ae. aegypti populations. The reasons for this are unclear and have sometimes been attributed to socio-economic differences.
Where Do Seasonal Climate Predictions Belong in the Drought Management Toolbox?
Seasonal climate predictions, based largely on the status of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, are one such tool but need to be used with prudence, understanding when and where they perform the best.• Advance planning and preparation for drought includes finding the right place for uncertain climate predictions in management decision making, as well as working to reduce overall exposure to drought risks.