Experts say the move is an important step to recognizing climate change’s relationship with disease and death. When wildfire smoke billows through the Colville Reservation, it tends to stick around in the deep mountain-lined valleys where most residents live.

The 1.4 million acre reservation in north central Washington is home to more than 5,000 people who have bore the brunt of the state’s increasing wildfire disasters spurred by climate change. Dr. Jeremy Hess, director of UW Center for Health and the Global Environment was mentioned. 

Pandemic recovery plans that invest in or subsidize fossil fuels will increase the spread of infectious diseases globally by contributing to climate change, according to a new report from The Lancet, a leading medical journal.

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An interdisciplinary team including UW Department of Global Health faculty Jeremy Hess and Kris Ebi was selected for a pilot research grant award from the University of Washington Population Health Initiative. The award will support the formation of a climate action Collaboratory in Washington State.

A global report and U.S. brief published in The Lancet show that further climate protections could save millions of lives.

Each year, The Lancet Countdown tracks more than 40 indicators on links between health and climate change. This year presents the most worrisom outlook to date as key trends worsen. The latest report finds that, with climate action, the lives of millions could be improved and saved.