The devastating cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services proposed in President Trump’s budget have rightly gotten a lot of attention.  But there’s another piece of his destructive budget that also threatens the health of our communities and the climate: cuts to public transit and active transportation.

As the impacts of climate change become more frequent and extreme, Oklahoma is likely to see warming temperatures, and increased variability of precipitation events and storms, which will significantly impact the health and prosperity of Oklahomans. These climate impacts will affect respiratory health, food security, and the local agricultural economy. Warning signs like this led the Tulsa City and County Health Department (TCCHD) to recognize the health threats of climate change, and to commit to doing something about it.

Climate change impacts all aspects of public health, from disaster recovery to disease control to social networks to issues of equity and access. San Francisco’s Climate and Health Program, started in 2010, is one of the most comprehensive models of what health departments can do to start planning for action on climate change. To learn more about the city’s framework, we asked Cyndy Comerford about challenges faced, lessons learned, advice for other departments, and more. Comerford describes the report’s distribution as “really just the tip of the iceberg” in acting on climate change.

Climate change is a known “threat multiplier,” posing the greatest danger for communities already bearing the burden of health and environmental challenges. On December 16, PHI partnered with Grantmakers in Health, the Health and Environmental Funders Network, and the Convergence Partnership to for a funders-only briefing on climate change, equity, and health.

PHI’s CA Convergence and RAMP co-hosted #PeoplePowerChange, a free public speaker series about resilience and community health, at the APHA annual conference. Check out photos from the event and learn more.