Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessments

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change poses significant threats to the health of people around the world. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the World Health Organization recognize that health risks are increasing and that health authorities should prepare by developing effective adaptation measures. Direct health impacts associated with climate change result from warming temperatures and more severe and frequent extreme weather events (e.g., heatwaves, droughts, floods, storms) while indirect effects can include the spread of infectious diseases and long-lasting mental health impacts.

Drivers of vulnerability to climate change impacts on health are complex and often vary within and among communities, regions and countries. Climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessments provide health sector decision makers with information on associations between weather/climate and health outcomes and the populations most vulnerable to these risks. They also indicate the possible magnitude and pattern of future climate-related health risks and identify options for adapting to protect populations. Health authorities at local to national levels are beginning to undertake assessments. New knowledge from assessments which expand understanding of climate change impacts on health and address methodological and data challenges, stakeholder engagement strategies, and communication of findings to influence policy development will benefit health sector officials in the future.

This Special Issue of IJERPH invites papers based on assessments of climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation at local, regional and national levels. Research papers, analytical reviews, case studies, and policy-relevant articles are welcome from developing and developed country contexts.

IJERPH is fully open access. Open access (unlimited and free access by readers) increases publicity and promotes more frequent citations, as indicated by several studies. Open access is supported by the authors and their institutes and an Article Processing Charge (APC) of 1600 CHF applies to papers accepted for publication. You may be entitled to a discount if you have previously received a discount code or if your institute is participating in the MDPI Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP), for more information see: http://www.mdpi.com/about/ioap.

The submission deadline is 31 July 2018. Manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision provided to authors approximately 27 days after submission.

There is no difference in the processing or indexing between regular and Special Issue submissions, except that Special Issue papers will be gathered together on the Special Issue website. After the Special Issue is closed we will share it with related scholars to promote your contributions.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the corresponding editor of the Special Issue: Ms. Penny Gu (penny.gu@mdpi.com).

Dr. Peter Berry
Ms. Marielle Verret
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.