2017 is the Year of Climate Change and Health

"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

Hear from APHA and our partners about plans to raise awareness and drive action to address the health impacts of climate change:

Watch the replay of the Feb. 16 Climate & Health Meeting hosted by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, APHA, The Climate Reality Project, Harvard Global Health Institute and the University of Washington Center for Health and the Global Environment with support from the Turner Foundation and other organizations.

This is the Year of Climate Change and Health — become a partner. And help us spread the word on social media. Our easy-to-use Social Media Toolkit (PDF) offers great tips and resources. 

Join us in Atlanta for APHA's 2017 Annual Meeting and Expo, "Creating the Healthiest Nation: Climate Changes Health"

Check out the APHA/ecoAmerica climate change webinar series

The science is clear: climate change is a serious threat to human health. Science is not an opinion. It is evidence.

Climate change can harm the water supply, increase vector-borne disease and increase extreme weather events. Vulnerable populations such as communities of color, the elderly, young children, the poor and those with chronic illnesses bear the greatest burden of injury, disease and death related to climate change. As an APHA priority, we believe in the need for strong climate change strategies and interventions that protect people's health. The public health community plays a critical role.

Tell your members of Congress to oppose any efforts to delay or block the Clean Power Plan, which would reduce carbon pollution that contributes to climate change. And read "The Remarkable Inconsistency of Climate Denial."

Follow the conversation online using the hashtag #ClimateChangesHealth

Communities across the nation are taking action to reduce the effects of climate change on health. Adaptation in Action: Grantee Success Stories from CDC's Climate and Health Program (PDF) highlights successful ways communities have responded to the challenge of climate change. For example:

• The Minnesota Climate and Health Program developed an Extreme Heat Toolkit offering education on warming temperatures in Minnesota, ways to adapt to extreme heat, how to partner with local organizations and much more.

• The San Francisco Climate and Health Program's heat vulnerability index pinpoints neighborhoods most susceptible to the health effects of extreme heat. The index guides such efforts as where to designate cooling centers and helps city planners decide where more trees should be planted to offer shade and boost cooling effects.

Learn about New York State's efforts, highlighted in this story from the field: Successfully Preparing for Climate Change in New York State

Questions? Please contact our environmental health team or tweet us @EH_4_All.