Climate Action and Advancing Health Equity
Addressing climate change represents a significant opportunity to improve public health, advance health equity, and build community resilience. Many actions that limit climate change also improve the health of families and communities and reduce health inequities.
These āwin-winā strategies include active transportation, urban and community greening, compact development and mixed-use zoning, consumption of locally-grown produce, and affordable, healthy, and energy-efficient housing. 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 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 economically disadvantaged 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
|
āReduced vehicle miles traveled (VMT) 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
|
āāUrban and community greening Tree planting, parks, green infrastructure | - āReduce temperature and urban heat island effects
- Reduce air pollution
- Reduce noise
|
āReducing building energy use
Energy efficiency, weatherization, cool roofs / green roofs, water conservation | - āReduce energy costs
- Create local green jobs
- Promote healthy homes
- Promote cooler communities
|
Linking GHG Emissions Reduction and Climate Adaptation
Taking action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is critical for protecting and promoting public health.
The more we can rapidly reduce GHG emissions now, the more we can reduce climate risks later and close the āadaptation gapā -- or how much we will need to adapt to the impacts of climate change, as illustrated in the "Linking Emissions Reductions & Climate Adaptation" diagram above. As emission reduction scenarios improve (e.g., low emissions scenario at 1.5 degrees Celsius), the climate risk level lessens.
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 will 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 Section (CCHES) 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.
Learn more about how CCHES is taking climate action >>
Learn more about CCHES' California Building Resilience Against Health Effects (CalBRACE) Project >>