EPA STAR – Integrating demographic and health data into Northern Climate Reports

Explore the changing environment in Alaska and the people most affected

Climate change is leading to rapid environmental changes in Alaska, and climate models can help us understand how temperature, precipitation, vegetation, wildfire susceptibility, and other environmental factors may change in the future. Northern Climate Reports allows users to access modeled climate data and projections of environmental change under different emissions scenarios, and provides easy-to-understand charts and summaries that can help support long-term community adaptation planning. This project enhanced Northern Climate Reports by including community- and borough-level demographic and health data, helping users understand who may be most impacted by these changes.

Northern Climate Reports can be used to:

• Access comprehensive climate model data: See graphics and download comprehensive data showing how temperature, precipitation, flammability, vegetation, hydrology, and permafrost may change over time with a changing climate.
• View selected population and health information alongside climate projections for Alaskan communities and boroughs to assist with long-term planning and climate adaptation efforts.

How to use the health and demographic information in Northern Climate Reports

To help you get the most out of this tool, we have developed a step-by-step user guide that demonstrates how to use the health and demographic information available in the tool alongside the climate projections to understand who may be most impacted by these changes. The guide walks you through two specific scenarios: program implementation and grant planning. 

Northern Climate Reports User Guide: Sample scenarios for climate and health data

• Download the user guide as a PDF

Project description

The JUSTICE-HIA (JUst Solutions To Impacts of Climate Exposures for Health In Alaska) project used a co-production approach to develop data tools that provide locally relevant information to support real-world decisions about wildfire smoke, climate, and health adaptation in Alaska communities. We began with one-on-one meetings to understand what decisions team members wanted to make using the tools. Through a series of workshops, we collaboratively selected datasets, tested tool features, and gathered feedback. To support broader use of Northern Climate Reports, we developed a scenario-based user guide that shows how to use the health and demographic data alongside climate projections.

Funding information

This work was supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Assistance Agreement No. 84047901 awarded to University of Alaska Anchorage (Principal Investigator: Micah Hahn). It has not been formally reviewed by EPA. The views expressed in this document are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Agency. EPA does not endorse any products or commercial services mentioned in this publication.

For questions about this project and its outputs email Micah Hahn, University of Alaska Anchorage