NURS 290 Health Impacts of Climate Change

Description

This three-credit course is a primer on the core concepts of climate change science. The course examines the human health impacts of the current and projected environmental crisis. This course is designed to enable students from any program of study to identify and understand key concepts in human health and climate change, and ideas to prepare for the future to promote well-being of individuals, communities and populations. Students will learn about climate changes’ direct effect on health, including extreme weather events, altered and degraded ecosystems, and threats to human security and welfare.

Learning Outcomes

In this course learners will:

1. Examine key concepts in climate change and the impact on human health.
2. Identify the pathways and processes through which climate change impacts human health.
3. Analyze the various health impacts associated with climate change, including waterborne disease, respiratory impacts from ozone, emissions, aeroallergens, harmful algal blooms, vector-borne and zoonotic disease, nutritional impacts and mental health and wellbeing.
4. Critically examine the ways in which climate change disproportionally affects specific populations.
5. Examine surveillance of climate sensitive diseases and climate change health impact projections.
6. Analyze the various efforts and strategies that have been developed to tackle the health impacts of climate change.
7. Analyze health and environmental policies and actions to address health impacts of climate change.
8. Interpret the ways in which national and international institutions are responding.
9. Critically examine the effects of climate change on human rights.