US Climate and Health Alliance

New Resource! A Physician’s Guide to Climate Change, Health and Equity

September 19, 2016 Center for Climate Change and Health, PHI, California Medical Association Foundation, Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations, and the National Medical Association

The Physician’s Guide to Climate Change, Health and Equity is a resource to strengthen and inform your voice as a trusted health professional on climate change, health and equity. The Guide explores the complex and multifaceted connections between climate change and health, disproportionate burdens and the impacts on health equity, and opportunities for solutions. It is not designed to be read and absorbed all at once, because it is filled with a lot of detailed information and data. Rather, it is meant to be a resource that you can use to prepare for media interviews, visits with legislators or policymakers, news media articles, or presentations such as Grand Rounds, conferences, community talks and more.

In partnership with the California Medical Association Foundation, the Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations and the National Medical Association, the Center for Climate Change and Health, PHI created this guide to strengthen and inform the physician voice on climate change, health and equity.

Physicians are trusted in their communities on issues of health and wellness, which makes them invaluable messengers when it comes to helping individuals understand and act on climate change. With concrete facts divided by topic areas, the new guide helps physicians understand:
  • The specific climate change problems(s)
  • Its impacts on health and equity
  • What can be done
  • An ‘ask’ or call to action

It covers basics of climate change, health equity and physician experiences with these issues, and dives deeper into specific climate change and health impacts and co-benefit solutions. It also includes special focus topics, such as how climate change affects children, pregnant women and workers, migration and conflict.

To see the full guide and individual factsheets, please visit this page on the Center for Climate Change and Health website.