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Chapter 15Human HealthCoordinating Lead AuthorsHeidi E. Brown (University of Arizona), Andrew C. Comrie (University of Arizona),Deborah M. Drechsler (California Air Resources Board)lead authorsChristopher M. Barker (University of California, Davis), Rupa Basu (California Officeof Environmental Health Hazard Assessment), Timothy Brown (Desert ResearchInstitute), Alexander Gershunov (Scripps Institution of Oceanography), A. MarmKilpatrick (University of California, Santa Cruz), William K. Reisen (University ofCalifornia, Davis), Darren M. Ruddell (University of Southern California)review editorPaul B. English (California Department of Public Health)Executive SummaryGlobal climate models project changes in precipitation patterns, drought, flooding, andsea-level rise, and an increase in the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme heatevents throughout the Southwest. The challenge for the protection of public health isto characterize how these climate events may influence health and to establish plansfor mitigating and responding to the health impacts. However, the effects of climatechange on health vary across the region, by population, and by disease system, makingit difficult to establish broad yet concise health promotion messages that are useful fordeveloping adaptation and mitigation plans.Techniques are increasingly available to quantify the health effects resulting fromclimate change and to move forward into predictions that are of sufficient resolution to312Chapter citation: Brown, H. E., A. C. Comrie, D. M. Drechsler, C. M. Barker, R. Basu, T. Brown, A.Gershunov, A. M. Kilpatrick, W. K. Reisen, and D. M. Ruddell. 2013. “Human Health.” In Assessmentof Climate Change in the Southwest United States: A Report Prepared for the National Climate Assessment,edited by G. Garfin, A. Jardine, R. Merideth, M. Black, and S. LeRoy, 312–339. A report by theSouthwest Climate Alliance. Washington, DC: Island Press.