Evaluation of Information Systems Relevant to Climate Change and Health

With all telecommunication facilities and meteorological forecasts available—do current alert systems satisfactorily reduce health impacts of weather extremes reaching vulnerable populations? A recent study addressed this question for selected German warning services. A two-volume report by the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) combines the findings with valuable hints for improvement and planning.

The first volume covers methodological aspects, addressesing the expert looking for a solid base to design and run a similar evaluation:

• How to evaluate the effectiveness of a warning system?
• Which indicators are specific and descriptive for the success of heat/ozone/uv/pollen alerts?
• Where does behavioural prevention take effect (answer: caretakers)

Volume 2 focuses on actual implementation or improvement of the alert chain. It offers a strategy and exemplary measures, covering aspects like:

• types of extreme weather
• health care structures
• relevant risks, ranging from direct health impacts to indirect damage from, e. g., infrastructure failure, interruption of energy supply or personnel shortage
• training and education
• provision of timely information
• co-ordination and co-operation
• provision of materiel and human ressources

Moreover, the authors group and assign the suggested measures to four different authority levels, from local to national.