Center for Climate, Health and Equity

Climate change has led to increases in extreme weather patterns: 2018 saw Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas and the Camp Fire in California and was the fourth hottest year on record. The health effects of climate change include higher injury risk and rates of cardiac, health and stress-related illnesses, as well as increases in food-, water- and insect-borne diseases.

APHA founded the Center for Climate, Health and Equity to support public health professionals in taking action on climate change and health. The public health field is on the front lines of the climate change crisis, addressing and preventing climate health effects. APHA's center will offer support, resources and expertise. APHA will use the center to advance health equity and environmental justice while promoting climate solutions. APHA will also use its voice as the leading public health organization to advance better climate and health practices, shift the narrative on climate and galvanize action.

The center is focused on building capacity and creating a presence. Activities include completing an APHA membership needs assessment to determine the most pressing needs of public health professionals working to address the health effects of climate change. The center will form an advisory board and steering committee to engage stakeholders and establish the center's influence. The center will publish an exciting new series of resources that translate high-level climate research for general use by public health practitioners and the public. The center will have a presence at the largest yearly public health event, the APHA Annual Meeting and Expo, to elevate the issues and engage APHA members in person. Lastly, the center will engage students and early-career professionals through APHA's Speak for Health advocacy campaign.

APHA has advanced public health work in climate change for over a decade. We've already created invaluable resources for the public health field and provided leadership on the issue. But this center is a new, focused investment that will help our work reach more of the workforce at a faster pace. The health effects of climate change won't wait, and we believe mobilizing the public health field now is critically important.

APHA has received "startup" money from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Environmental Health and from the Kresge Foundation to establish the center and complete some initial work. APHA is hopeful that longer-term investment will follow, allowing the center's vision for climate and equity to expand.

APHA's center is the first of its kind to bring concerns about climate change, public health and health equity under one roof. Those hardest-hit by the health effects of climate change are vulnerable populations like children, seniors, low-income communities, people living with chronic health conditions and/or disabilities and communities of color. The center is concerned with how to shape climate policy, action and engagement to address the needs of these vulnerable populations. APHA's center is also unique because of our membership. APHA represents 50,000 individuals working in public health. Our members are diverse, international and multidisciplinary, and our ability to reach such a broad audience of experts will have an immediate impact. No other organization has the network and capacity to immediately reach so many public health professionals with the messages behind climate, health and equity.

The center will better equip the public health field to manage the health effects of climate change, and their communities will benefit from that expertise and support. APHA members will receive timely new information on the issues surrounding climate change and health and have a dedicated center to answer questions and give support. APHA will strive to ensure the benefits of our work on climate are realized equitably across communities.