Summary
Climate change represents one of the most significant threats to human health in the 21st century. The Grand Challenge on Climate Change, Human Health, and Equity (Climate Grand Challenge) is a multi-year global initiative to improve and protect human health, well-being, and equity by working to transform systems that both contribute to and are impacted by climate change.
The Climate Grand Challenge has four strategic objectives:
Communicate the climate crisis as a public health and equity crisis
Develop a roadmap for systems transformation
Catalyze the health sector to reduce its climate footprint and ensure its resilience
Accelerate research and innovation at the intersection of climate, health, and equity
OnAir Post: National Academic of Medicine
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Climate Collaborative
Recognizing the critical need to address climate change through health sector leadership, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) launched the Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the U.S. Health Sector (Climate Collaborative), a public-private partnership of leaders from across the health system committed to addressing the sector’s environmental impact while strengthening its sustainability and resilience.
Climate change is increasingly affecting people’s health and the ability of the U.S. health care system to effectively respond to increases in extreme climate-related events. Improving the carbon footprint of the entire health ecosystem can drastically lower the approximately 8.5% of U.S. carbon emissions for which it is responsible, while also having significant health, social, and economic benefits. There is a need to activate all parts of the health sector for sustainable change.
Climate Communities Network
The Climate Communities Network (CCN) is an initiative within the NAM Grand Challenge on Climate Change, Human Health, and Equity (Climate Grand Challenge), a multi-year effort to improve and protect human health, well-being, and equity by working to transform systems that both contribute to and are impacted by climate change.
The CCN will bring together community leaders (“Members”) who work for community-based organizations in U.S. communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate change and climate-related health inequities. The CCN will elevate community expertise, experience, and efforts to address the structural drivers of climate-related health inequities in Member communities. Alongside CCN Strategic Partners, who will be invited representatives from government, philanthropy, academia, and industry, CCN Members will influence and work across the Climate Grand Challenge to catalyze innovation, inform policy, drive funding, and co-design solutions. The CCN will have two initial main goals:
- Inform the strategic direction and outcomes of the Climate Grand Challenge.
- Work collaboratively to identify and develop solutions to climate-related health inequities.
