Commentary from Community Health and Environmental Policy

Community Resilience
What Can FEMA Learn from the Historic 2017 Hurricane and Wildfire Seasons?
Feb 3, 2020
Jason Thomas Barnosky, Patrick S. Roberts @RamblingRoberts, et al.

When a hurricane comes ashore or a wildfire ignites, most of a community's vulnerability to disaster is already set. Emergency managers including FEMA, states, and localities could do much more to identify statewide risks and build community resilience before an event makes headlines.
Wildfires
Australia's Fires: Respond Now, but Also Measure Toll on People for the Future
Jan 20, 2020
Melissa L. Finucane @MelissaFinucane

As an Australian, Melissa Finucane has watched with anguish as massive bushfires devastated wide swaths of her home country. As a researcher who studies community resilience, she can't help but think of how much blood, sweat, tears, and money will be required to recover.
Wildfires
A Climate Scientist's Brush with Wildfire
Dec 18, 2019
Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert

RAND researcher Robert Lempert was evacuated from the path of a wildfire. This experience emphasized for him the challenges of adapting to climate change, not merely because it is hard, but because it makes the familiar become unfamiliar in unexpected ways.
Global Climate Change
How Voters Can Assess New Climate Plans
Nov 14, 2019
Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert

While the U.S. government has announced its intention to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, most presidential candidates and many states have proposed climate plans of their own. How might voters determine if any of these plans can seriously address climate change?
Wildfires
Turning Off Power to Combat Wildfires Could Harm the Very People Who Need Protection
Oct 28, 2019
Joie D. Acosta, Regina A. Shih @ReginaShih

Intentionally shutting off power may be a practical way to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires. But is it worth the risks? Until more thoughtful and comprehensive decisions are made, planned power outages need to be planned better.
Wildfires
Uncovering the Links Between Fires and Public Health in Equatorial Asia
Oct 25, 2019
Miriam E. Marlier

Fires in Indonesia, if left unchecked, could cause an average of 36,000 premature deaths annually across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Researchers built a tool that models the effect of the fires on public health.
Environmental Science and Technology
The Science of Climate Policy: Q&A with Benjamin Preston
Oct 22, 2019

Benjamin Preston, a senior policy researcher and director of RAND's Community Health and Environmental Policy Program, specializes in climate risk and adaptation, disaster recovery, and resilience. In this Q&A, he discusses common misperceptions about climate change and how to decarbonize the U.S. economy.
Social Determinants of Health
New Data on How We're Measuring a Culture of Health
Sep 13, 2019
Alonzo L. Plough, Anita Chandra

We are seeing small but positive changes in the appreciation of the social determinants of health and the need for broader community health investments. People are expanding their views of what influences health and there have been some targeted improvements in health care and public health access. Yet, the critical systemic changes needed for more transformative health improvements have been slower to follow.
Environmental Pollution
We Built an App to Detect Areas Most Vulnerable to Life-Threatening Haze
Sep 10, 2019
Tianjia Liu, Miriam E. Marlier, et al.

Forest and land-use fires are ravaging Indonesia's Sumatra and Kalimantan islands. Haze from these fires is life-threatening; inhaling smoke can cause heart and respiratory diseases, leading to premature deaths. We developed a new tool to provide decisionmakers with information to protect people who live downwind.
Disaster Recovery Operations
Hurricane Recovery in the Bahamas: Turning Good Intentions into Good Decisions
Sep 6, 2019
Melissa L. Finucane @MelissaFinucane, Joie D. Acosta

Recovery in the Bahamas will have to be a balancing act. Plans will need to allow for transition toward long-term strategic goals for the nation, but also be mindful of not perpetuating inequities.
Autonomous Vehicles
Bargain-Hunting Robocars Could Spell the End for Downtown Parking: Cities Need to Plan Ahead Now
Aug 29, 2019
Corey Harper, Constantine Samaras

Imagine a scene from the near-future: You get dropped off downtown by a driverless car. You slam the door and head into your office or appointment. But then where does the autonomous vehicle go? It's a question that cities would be wise to consider now. Self-driving cars may be on the roads within the next decade or two.
Citizen Science
How Citizen Scientists Are Protecting Their Communities
Aug 29, 2019

After Superstorm Sandy, residents of Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood cleaned up debris, pumped out basements, and teamed up with researchers to find out what was in the floodwater. They established safety protocols to help local businesses prevent their chemicals from escaping and wrote a guide to help other communities.

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Commentary from Community Health and Environmental Policy

What Can FEMA Learn from the Historic 2017 Hurricane and Wildfire Seasons?

Australia's Fires: Respond Now, but Also Measure Toll on People for the Future

A Climate Scientist's Brush with Wildfire

How Voters Can Assess New Climate Plans

Turning Off Power to Combat Wildfires Could Harm the Very People Who Need Protection

Uncovering the Links Between Fires and Public Health in Equatorial Asia

The Science of Climate Policy: Q&A with Benjamin Preston

New Data on How We're Measuring a Culture of Health

We Built an App to Detect Areas Most Vulnerable to Life-Threatening Haze

Hurricane Recovery in the Bahamas: Turning Good Intentions into Good Decisions

Bargain-Hunting Robocars Could Spell the End for Downtown Parking: Cities Need to Plan Ahead Now

How Citizen Scientists Are Protecting Their Communities

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