Building Resilient Communities in the Face of Climate Change: A Resource for Local Communities
During her tenure as SPSSI President, in 2016, Dr. Susan Clayton brought together a group of SPSSI colleagues to create a resource for local communities on how to build resilient communities in the face of climate change. The group included Policy Committee member Dr. Linda Silka (who now serves on the SPSSI Council and is Chair of the Policy Committee), Graduate Student Committee Chair and Ph.D. candidate Carlie Trott, graduate student Daniel Chapman, and SPSSI Policy Director Sarah Mancoll.
About this resource: The National Health Security Strategy of the United States calls on people and their communities to prepare for the threats to health that come with disasters and emergencies, to be ready to protect themselves, and to remain resilient in the face of such threats. The strategy defines resilience as “the sustained ability of communities to withstand, adapt to, and recover from adversity.” How can communities best incorporate resilience into their approaches and practices, especially in light of the potential consequences of climate change? This resource—prepared especially for community-based groups—provides information from the fields of psychology and other social sciences to help communities better understand and prepare for the adverse effects of climate change.
Learn more about this topic by visiting the webpage of SPSSI's December 2016 Congressional Briefing, entitled "Strengthening Human Health and Well-being in the Face of Climate Change: Insights from Psychology."