Improving Public Health and Equity Through Climate Change Mitigation Planning
PAS Memo 122
By Erik Calloway, AICP, Evan Mallen, Tina-Marie Ansong, Jessica Nguyen, Jacqueline Teed, Heather Joseph
This edition of the PAS Memo is available free to all.
Climate change disproportionately affects populations that face social, economic, and health inequities caused by ongoing systemic discrimination, exclusion, and under- or disinvestment. This includes communities that have been historically underserved, people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, people with chronic diseases, older adults, children, and pregnant people.
Climate action plans (CAPs) are documents that establish the actions state and local governments will take to mitigate and build resilience against the effects of climate change. Climate change mitigation planning is critical to protect public health and improve health equity, or the attainment of the highest level of health for all people, where everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their optimal health. Health equity is also inherently related to environmental justice, or the just treatment and meaningful involvement of all people concerning environmental decision-making, laws, regulations, policies, and other related activities.
Climate change mitigation planning advances health equity, as slowing or reversing climate change will limit climate change-related health and health equity impacts and climate change mitigation strategies can directly improve public health and health equity. At the same time, incorporating public health and health equity considerations into CAPs can increase support for climate change mitigation, reduce barriers to CAP adoption, increase the range of mitigation strategies included in CAPs, and ultimately help reduce or reverse climate change.
This PAS Memo shares findings from research carried out by ChangeLab Solutions in partnership with the Climate and Health Program in the National Center for Environmental Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on opportunities to advance health and health equity through climate change mitigation strategies, and it offers practical guidance that planners can use to improve public health and health equity while also advancing climate change mitigation planning objectives.
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About the Authors
Erik Calloway, AICP
Erik Calloway has led a wide range of neighborhood and city-wide planning processes as part of streetscape and public space design, district and corridor restructuring, city planning, neighborhood development, and downtown revitalization projects. His over 17 years of experience in the field includes designing interactive discussion activities, presenting at and moderating community workshops, planning commission and city council meetings, and conference sessions including several times at the APA National Planning Conference. Recently, Erik has led ChangeLab solutions thought leadership developing frameworks and resources to help local government plan for health and equity in their communities and he has used this thinking to lead trainings and provide technical assistance about planning for health and equity to communities across the country.
Evan Mallen
Tina-Marie Ansong
Jessica Nguyen
As a planner at ChangeLab Solutions, Jessica supports planning and policy work related to health equity, active living, transportation, and housing.
Before joining ChangeLab Solutions, she worked as a consultant on bicycle and pedestrian planning projects, Safe Routes to Schools programs, and traffic safety analysis. She also has experience in community engagement, program evaluation, and affordable housing advocacy. Jessica received a bachelor of arts from the University of Washington and concurrent master degrees in city planning and public health from UC Berkeley.
Jacqueline Teed
Heather Joseph