Baltimore Climate and Health Project

Extreme temperatures pose a serious, long-term health threat for people with chronic medical conditions like asthma, respiratory diseases, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, mental illness and multiple sclerosis.

Climate change is making the problem worse, particularly for those in low-income neighborhoods whose homes are too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.

If you live in Baltimore, we want your help telling this important story.

What is this project about?

Capital News Service, a news organization in Maryland, is spending 2019 examining how climate change affects the health of people who live in Baltimore. We plan to publish several news stories about the issue, working in partnership with Wide Angle Youth Media, a Baltimore non-profit that teaches digital media skills to young people ages 10-24 around the city.

Learn More
Discover trends and follow the reporting through the Baltimore Climate and Health Project blog.

If you live in Baltimore, we want to talk to you about your experience.

We are trying to understand how climate change-driven temperature extremes -- hotter summers, more severe winter cold snaps -- affect the health of people in Baltimore. Every year, people die as a direct result of excessive exposure to heat and cold. Those deaths often make headlines, but they represent only a small fraction of the people whose long-term health and well-being are affected by extreme temperatures. We want to tell the rest of the story and bring attention to solutions to problems.

Our research tells us that these climate and health-related consequences are likely worse in low-income neighborhoods in Baltimore, which feature higher rates of chronic medical conditions exacerbated by heat and cold, housing conditions and environmental factors.

I live in Baltimore. How can I get involved?

If you live in Baltimore, we want to learn about your experience in the winter and summer months. You can reach us by filling out the form below and we'll get back to you quickly with more information. Or you can call or text project editor Sean Mussenden at 202-590-2190 or email smussend@umd.edu.