Climate Action and Advancing Health Equity
Addressing climate change represents a significant opportunity to improve public health and advance health and racial equity. Many actions that limit climate change also improve the health of families and communities and reduce health and racial inequities. For example, in addition to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions, home weatherization and energy-efficiency servicesā can provide many other benefits, particularly for residents of historically marginalized and under-resourced communities. Benefits can include improved thermal comfort in homes, reduced chronic illnesses through improved indoor air and environmental quality, decreased energy usage for lower utility bills, and reduced exposure to climate-related health hazards like extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and air pollution (see our āCommunity Health Workers, Healthy Homes, & Healthy Families Pilot Programā to learn more).
Along with āaffordable, healthy, and energy-efficient housing, other examples of āwin-winā strategies include active transportation, urban forestry and community greening, compact development and mixed-use zoning, and consumption of locally-grown produce. The health benefits of these strategies can include reductions in obesity, chronic diseases, respiratory illnesses, and injury, and improved community cohesion and mental health (see Table 1).
Table 1. Climate Action Strategies and Potential Health Benefits
āInclusive economic prosperity Invest in economic drivers such as schools, cooperatives, community-based organizations, and
small businesses; sustainable and inclusive business practices; policies that reduce
income inequality; fair and accountable public institutions | - āIncrease access to resources and opportunities
- Promote equity and just transition
- Reduce health care costs
- Improve physical and mental health outcomes, especially with reducing infant / child deaths and chronic diseases
- Increase life expectancy
|
āCreate safe, stable, living wage, green jobs Prioritize historically marginalized and under-resourced communities for labor and workforce development
| - āPromote equity and just transition
- Reduce poverty
- Reduce work-related injuries and deaths
- Improve outcomes across many indicators of health and well-being
- Reduce health care costs
- Increase life expectancy
|
āReduce driving alone Active transportation (walking, biking, public transit) | - āIncrease physical activity
- Improve mental health
- Reduce chronic disease
- Reduce air pollution
|
Reduce emissions through land use changes Transit oriented and infill development | - āIncrease physical activity
- Increase access to services
- Reduce chronic disease
- Enhance safety
|
āReduce energy intensity in local food systems Buy local, farmers markets, gardens, reduce consumption of red and processed meats | - āIncrease access to healthy and fresh foods
- Reduce air pollution
- Increase resilience
- Improve cardiovascular health
- Increase social cohesion
|
āāIncrease / expand access to urban and community greening Tree planting, parks, green spaces, nature-based infrastructure, low-impact development (LID) strategies for managing storm water runoff | - āReduce temperature and urban heat island effects
- Reduce air pollution
- Reduce noise
- Improve water quality
- Improve physical and mental health
|
āāReduce building energy use
āEnergy efficiency, cool / green roofs, water conservation
| - Reduce energy costs
- Create local green jobs
- Promote cooler communitiesā
- Increase energy resilience
|
Weatherize homes
Home insulation, air sealing, repair / replace windows, energy-efficient air conditioning | - Improve health, safety, and quality of life of residentsā
- Reduce household energy costs
- Increase energy resilience
- Improve indoor air quality
- Improve thermal comfort
|
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Linking GHG Emissions Reduction and Climate Adaptation
Climate Action for More Resilient Communities
The capacity for climate resilience is significantly driven by living conditions and the forces that shape them, such as income, education, housing, transportation, environmental quality, and access to services. Strategies such as alleviating poverty, increasing access to opportunity, improving living conditions, and reducing health and social inequities can result in more climate resilient communities. Public health engagement in climate change is essential to ensure that climate action strategies promote optimal health, well-being, and equity.
The CDPH Climate Change and Health Equity (CCHE) Branch provides health equity input into Californiaās plans for transportation, housing, land use planning, and other systems that affect both health outcomes and vulnerability to climate change impacts.
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