Menu

Statement

Health, Equity and Climate in All Policies: PHI statement on federal climate change executive actions

By asking that all federal agencies weigh the impact of their decisions on climate, health and equity, we ensure that every action we take is also a step toward a healthier planet, healthier communities and toward redressing historical systemic inequities that have meant Black, brown and poor communities bear the worst impacts of climate change.

There is no Planet B

Statement from Linda Rudolph, MD,  Public Health Institute Senior Advisor on Climate Health and Equity

“Yesterday the Biden/Harris administration took sweeping, bold and overdue action on climate change. The series of executive orders and federal actions reckon head on with the crisis of climate change, along with its health impacts which are already being felt—worst and first—in our least-resourced communities around the globe. Over the last few months, PHI worked with a broad cross-section of national and state health and medical organizations to develop recommendations to the Biden Harris administration that include the actions taken this week and additional steps.

“The ‘whole of government’ approach being implemented at the federal level mirrors the ‘health, equity and climate in all policies’ approach that has been spearheaded by the Public Health Institute for more than a decade.  By asking that all federal agencies weigh the impact of their decisions on climate, health and equity, we ensure that every action we take is also a step toward a healthier planet, healthier communities and toward redressing historical systemic inequities that have meant Black, brown and poor communities bear the worst impacts of climate change.

“Every moment we waste magnifies the speed with which climate change accelerates. The steps taken today are incredibly encouraging—in their understanding of the problem, the science, the solutions, and the impacts on equity. We must work quickly, resolutely and without partisan or political barriers, to implement the vision that has been laid out: here at home and with our partners around the world.”

 

 


More Updates

Work With Us

You change the world. We do the rest. Explore fiscal sponsorship at PHI.

Bring Your Work to PHI

Support Us

Together, we can accelerate our response to public health’s most critical issues.

Donate

Find Employment

Begin your career at the Public Health Institute.

See Jobs

Mural and kids' paintings hanging on a fence at a playground

Close

New Public Health Primer: Engaging Community Development for Health Equity

How can the public health and community development sectors to work together to advance health and racial equity? A new primer from PHI’s Build Healthy Places Network and partners provides a roadmap for forging upstream partnerships, with recommendations, strategies and lessons-learned from national, state and local leaders.

Explore the primer

Continue to PHI.org