Transitioning from climate ambitions to climate actions through public health policy initiatives
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Policies to implement climate-forcing pollution emission reductions have often been stymied by economic and political divisiveness. However, certain uncontested nonregret public health policies that also carry climate-forcing cobenefits with them could provide more achievable policy pathways to accelerate the implementation of climate mitigation. An International Society for Environmental Epidemiology Policy Committee endorsed pre-28th Conference of the Parties climate meeting workshop brought together experts on environment, diet, civic planning, and health to review current understanding of public health policy approaches that provide climate change mitigation cobenefits by also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Promising public health policy areas identified as also providing climate mitigation cobenefits included: improving air quality through stronger regulation of harmful combustion-related air pollutants, advancing healthier plant-based public food procurement programs, promoting more sustainable transport options, developing healthier infrastructure (e.g., combustion-free buildings), and reducing the use of climate forcing substances in healthcare. It is concluded that cities, states, and nations, when aided by involved health professionals, can advance many practical public health, diet, and civic planning policies to improve health and well-being that will also serve to translate climate mitigation ambitions into action.
Date Issued
2025-04-01
Date Acceptance
2025-03-01
Citation
Environmental Epidemiology, 2025, 9 (2)
ISSN
2474-7882
Publisher
Wolters Kluwer
Journal / Book Title
Environmental Epidemiology
Volume
9
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CCBY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/40060026
PII: EE-D-24-00135
Subjects
civic engagement
climate mitigation action
fossil fuel combustion transition
motivation
public health policy implementation
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Article Number
e373
Date Publish Online
2025-03-06