Climate change’s growing impact on public health in the Finger Lakes — from harmful algae blooms to rising respiratory illnesses and insect-borne diseases — will be the focus of a virtual panel discussion later this month hosted by Sustainable Finger Lakes.
The organization announced it will hold the webinar, titled “Climate Change as a Threat Multiplier for Public Health,” on May 13 at noon. Local officials, planning boards, and public health professionals are being encouraged to attend.
Organizers say the discussion will explore how climate-related health trends are increasingly affecting communities across the Finger Lakes region, including the spread of Lyme disease and West Nile virus, worsening air quality, allergens, and harmful algae blooms.
The event follows a previous Sustainable Finger Lakes webinar in which Cornell University public health researcher Alistair Hayden discussed health impacts tied to the June 2023 wildfire smoke event that affected much of New York.
Panelists for the May 13 event include Dr. Neil Muscatiello of the New York State Department of Health’s Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology; Bryan Backenson, director of the state Bureau of Communicable Disease Control; Dr. Danielle Eiseman of Cornell University’s Department of Public and Ecosystem Health; and Douglas Barnes of the Tompkins County Health Department.
According to organizers, the discussion will focus on how state and local governments can respond to evolving climate risks and what residents can do to better prepare for future impacts.
“Many rural parts of our country are already facing shortages of health care providers and rising medical bills, and climate change will be a threat multiplier in terms of coping with extreme weather and more vector-borne diseases,” Sustainable Finger Lakes Executive Director Gay Nicholson said in a statement.
Sustainable Finger Lakes said the webinar is part of its broader effort to promote long-term environmental, economic, and community sustainability throughout the region.
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