Improving Public Health & Equity by Planning for Climate Change Mitigation

Climate change is harming public health across every region of the United States. Planners and public health practitioners play critical roles in reducing negative health impacts through climate change adaptation and mitigation.

ChangeLab Solutions collaborated with the Climate and Health Program in the National Center for Environmental Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help planners and public health practitioners address health and health equity through planning efforts to mitigate climate change. Based on this work, ChangeLab Solutions developed guidance that summarizes . . .

• Evidence-based connections between climate change mitigation and health
• An assessment of how adopted state and local climate action plans address health and health equity
• Conversations on how public health partners are typically involved in climate change mitigation planning

How Public Health Can Support Climate Change Mitigation 

This resource was developed to improve public health by supporting climate change mitigation planning. Grounded by interviews with state and local health practitioners, it highlights strategies that public health practitioners can use to help communities integrate health considerations into climate action plans (CAPs). 

How Climate Change Mitigation Can Improve Public Health 

This resource explores the health and equity benefits of climate change mitigation strategies, which can be used to support comprehensive planning efforts. It identifies key approaches to mitigate climate change across six classes of climate change mitigation strategies, ranging from transportation to land use.

Building Resilience Against Climate Change (BRACE) Framework and Implementation Guide

Effective climate change adaptation can reduce health inequities associated with climate change. See the updated Building Resilience Against Climate Change (BRACE) Framework and Implementation Guide, at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School's Prevention Research Center, to learn how health departments at all jurisdictional levels can collaborate with communities to assess climate and health threats, develop effective strategies, and act to promote health and climate resilience.