In 2009 The Lancet described climate change as the greatest global health threat of the 21st century, and evidence continues to build to support this. The public health sector has a critical role to play, on the front lines addressing those health impacts; giving voice to the health implications of failure to act on climate change; fostering climate resilient communities; and ensuring that strategies to address climate change protect health, reduce health inequities, and maximize health co-benefits. With funding from the Kresge Foundation, the Public Health Institute has been exploring the linkages between climate change and public health, and exploring how those of us in public health, related fields and our partners and allies can engage with and address this urgent health challenge.

In this presentation, PHI’s Center for Climate Change & Health shared Climate Change and Health: A Framework for Action, mapping climate change processes against a social determinants of health framework to identify opportunities for action at the intersection of climate and health.