Climate Change & Health Equity Section (CCHES)

The CDPH Climate Change and Health Equity Section (CCHES) envisions a state where all Californians thrive in healthy, equitable, and resilient communities. Our team works to achieve this by building health equity, advancing climate action, and improving living conditions through policies, systems, and environmental changes.

Why We're Doing this Work

• Climate change is one of the greatest public health threats of our time.

• Those facing inequities are hurt first and worst by the impacts of climate change.

• Climate change policies can improve the environments where people live, learn, work, play, and age, and represent a significant opportunity to improve population health and health inequities.
  

What We Do

• Work across agencies and departments to embed health and equity into California climate change programs and policies.
  

• Guide state investment and resource distribution to prioritize health equity and climate resilience.
  

• Provide data, research, and tools to identify and reduce the health effects of climate change and maximize the health equity benefits of climate action.
  

• Increase capacity of public health jurisdictions, Tribal health programs, and partner agencies to work on climate change and health equity.
  

• Engage with internal and external partners to shift towards policies, processes, and guidelines that increase communities’ power in decision-making.
  

• Statewide Cross-Sector Climate Change Policy, Planning, and Programs that promote health equity and build climate resilience for communities
  

• Land Use Planning with emphasis on building within unused and underutilized lands within existing development patterns (compact / infill development) and creating transit-oriented neighborhoods with easy access to daily needs to reduce the need to drive and facilitate healthy and active living

• Transportation / Clean Mobility Options that prioritize accessible walking, cycling, and public transit
  

• Housing and Anti-Displacement -- affordable, healthy, energy-efficient, and climate resilient homes
  

• Clean Energy, including reducing barriers for low-income populations and disadvantaged communities to access clean energy, and ensuring energy security and resiliency
  

• Natural and Working Lands, including sustainable and local food systems that enable healthy eating and food sovereignty
  

• Urban Greening and Green Infrastructure that provide nature-based climate and health solutions
  

• Labor and Workforce Development -- support workforce development and hiring practices that advance racial and health equity in the clean energy economy

• Community engagement -- meaningful community engagement that empowers communities facing inequities to drive climate and health policy and governmental decision-making

• Utilization of Health Equity Data and Tools to inform decisions, and to identify and prioritize State resources and investments to communities facing inequities and climate vulnerabilities
  

Our Recent Accomplishments