Why is climate change a public health issue?
From exposure to extreme weather and heat waves to worsening air pollution and the spread of insect-borne disease — climate change is a health emergency.
From The Nation's Health: Climate change returns to top of US agenda, earning praise
Climate, Health and Equity: Recommendations for HHS
"We're committed to making sure the nation knows about the effects of climate change on health. If anyone doesn't think this is a severe problem, they are fooling themselves."
-- APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin, in The Washington Post
APHA has signed on to the Climate, Health, and Equity Policy Action Agenda with more than 150 health organizations to protect the health and safety of all people in the U.S.
Congratulations to the Student Champions for Climate Justice Awardees!
APHA’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity provided five Student Champions for Climate Justice Awards to student groups across America in August 2023. Students will create an Academic Community Experience on their campus this fall to raise awareness about climate justice. Awards were given to students at the LSU Health Science Center New Orleans, Michigan State University, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of South Florida and Western Illinois University. The range of activities includes a walk for health, an art exhibit highlighting climate change, a day of action, a few seminars and a podcast. Congratulations to these students and their commitment to addressing the inequitable impact climate change has on vulnerable communities. Follow APHA and #ClimateChangesHealth on social media to see their events unfold.
Climate Change resources
Watch Climate Communications Bootcamp Training
In February 2023, APHA and the National Center for Healthy Housing hosted a training to build public health capacity in delivering key climate and health messaging and engaging and communicating with policymakers and the media.
Watch the training for free or purchase for continuing education credits.
Read about how participants put their new skills into use on Capitol Hill.
Climate Justice Supplement
American Climate Perspectives Survey 2022, Vol. II, in partnership with ecoAmerica
Fact sheets on energy justice (Special thanks to Partnership for Southern Equity for their thoughtful review)
Climate-relevant COVID-19 resources
Fact sheets on the health impacts of climate change (all are PDFs)
Alaska | California | Midwest | Northeast | Northern Great Plains | Southeast | Southern Great Plains | Southwest
Our factsheet template and guides will help you create maps and find data to populate your location-specific factsheet:
Factsheet template (DOC) | Generating Environmental Health Maps (PDF) | Generating Climate Change Maps (PDF)
More about climate change
Check out the sessions on climate change (PDF) at APHA 2021!
APHA's Center for Climate, Health and Equity names five U.S. college and university student groups to receive the 2021 Student Champions for Climate Justice awards!
Check out the winners of APHA's 2020 Student Champions for Climate Justice awards.
Listen to the American Shoreline Podcast's episode featuring APHA's Surili Sutaria Patel on about climate justice and public health.
APHA is proud to support our partners' creation of powerful new resources and tools like ecoAmerica's Moving Forward Toolkit: A Guide for Health Professionals to Build Momentum on Climate Action and Healthcare Without Harm's Energy and Health Impact Calculator.
APHA’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity leads public health efforts to inspire action on climate and health, advance policy and galvanize the field to address climate change. To stay current on the Center's activities and opportunities, sign up for our newsletter.
Follow the conversation online using the hashtag #ClimateChangesHealth
Questions? Please contact our climate change team or reach out on Twitter to @EH_4_All.