Tackling the health impacts of climate change isn’t for the medical and public health fields alone. In a commentary published in The Lancet Planetary Health, a global consortium of researchers…
Erin Coughlan de Perez
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Erin Coughlan de Perez integrates science, policy, and practice in her groundbreaking research on climate risk management. Her work focuses on enhancing our ability to anticipate and manage disasters, including droughts, floods, and heatwaves, before they occur. Erin spearheaded the rise of Anticipatory Action within the humanitarian sector, and she researches how climate change adaptation measures can be effectively implemented and adopted.
Erin heads several global research initiatives. She directs the Center for Climate and Health glObal Research on Disasters (CORD), a global consortium of seven universities collaborating on climate, health, and Anticipatory Action. Additionally, she leads a NASA-funded project investigating unprecedented extreme weather events in the United States, in partnership with the American Red Cross.
Before joining Tufts University, Erin was at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, where she established a global climate science team and pioneered Forecast-based Financing. She continues to serve as a technical advisor at the Climate Centre, maintaining vital connections to humanitarian operations worldwide.
Erin earned her Ph.D .from VU University Amsterdam, her M.A. in Climate and Society from Columbia University, and her B.Sc. in Environmental Science and International Development from McGill University. She was a lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report. Additionally, she serves as an academic editor for the journal PLOS Climate and serves on the Council of the American Meteorological Society.
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Hazard-focused anticipatory action (AA) plans that focus on drought often seek to mitigate or avoid negative impacts to nutrition and food security. The most recommended approach for AA for malnutrition is…
Waterborne disease anticipatory action (AA) plans focus entirely on reducing health impacts and rely heavily on surveillance systems. Globally, government agencies have developed elaborate surveillance and control measures to combat…
Predictive modelling, surveillance and risk mapping, early warning systems, and anticipatory action (AA) such as pre-positioned resources are all important means for preventing vector-borne diseases. The vector-borne diseases identified as…
The human health impact of storms and flooding occur during and after these weather events and include risks of injury or death as well as waterborne disease. The most common…
Extreme heat is one of the fastest-growing hazards globally. Anticipatory action (AA) is one way to reduce the negative health impacts of heatwaves alongside other adaptive strategies to reduce the…
This report provides a global review of anticipatory action frameworks and offers a typology of approaches to AA for different national contexts and health outcomes.
This report outlines an anticipatory insurance product designed to support farmers in the drought-prone regions of Malawi and Zambia.
The time pressure involved in designing and implementing anticipatory action can discourage the localization of decision-making. Learn more from a cartoon-infused summary of insights.
Early Warning Systems can reduce deaths and damages caused by extreme weather events, if investors address gaps in communication and planning. Learn more from a cartoon-infused summary of insights.
This anticipatory action landscape brief summarizes what has been published on anticipatory action since 2020 and what progress has been made on existing recommendations.
This brief examines Lesotho, a small country in southern Africa that is highly vulnerable to climate hazards, is equipped to make use of DRF.
FEINSTEIN RESEARCH PROJECTS
The CORD consortium works to protect health and build resilience in climate-related disasters. We collect and analyze data on the health effects of climate-related disasters, illuminating how vulnerable populations are affected around the world.
This study of 4 U.S. locations will document how refugee and migrant populations in the United States receive, understand, and act on early warnings and information related to weather hazards.
This project reconsiders our understanding of famines, the dynamics that give rise to famines, the resilience of populations subjected to these dynamics, and the means of prevention at the disposal of governments, humanitarian agencies, donors, and the affected populations.
The Academic Alliance for Anticipatory Action (4As) is a global consortium of universities supported by USAID that is building the evidence base on why acting ahead of hazards and risks saves lives.