Menu

Statement

“Climate change is an emergency”: PHI Statement on HR9

"Today, leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced H.R. 9 – the Climate Action Now Act. The Public Health Institute strongly supports this bill, which calls for the U.S. to honor its commitment to the Paris climate agreement and requires the president to submit a plan to Congress within 120 days that outlines how the U.S. will do so."

Statement from Linda Rudolph, MD, Director of the Public Health Institute’s Center for Climate Change and Health

“Today, leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced H.R. 9 – the Climate Action Now Act. The Public Health Institute strongly supports this bill, which calls for the U.S. to honor its commitment to the Paris climate agreement and requires the president to submit a plan to Congress within 120 days that outlines how the U.S. will do so.

“Climate change is a global health emergency. Climate-related heat, wildfires, storms, and floods are already impacting the health, livelihoods and security of communities across the U.S. and around the world. Air pollution—whose primary driver, fossil fuel combustion, is also the primary driver of climate change —causes hundreds of thousands of deaths in the U.S. annually. Without effective response, these harms will greatly increase. But with the right policies and investments today, we have the opportunity to fight climate change with actions that will also bring immediate health benefits to communities.

“The American people back action: 71% of Americans believe climate change is happening, and 83% of those Americans believe the federal government has a role to play in addressing it. We know that climate change is the greatest health threat of the 21st century. Fighting it will require concerted action from all nations.

“The Paris agreement is a critical step in bringing the world’s nations together to respond. Withdrawing from that agreement is reckless and dangerous, threatening the health and wellbeing of communities today and of future generations. The Public Health Institute supports the Climate Action Now Act as well as policies that will put us on track for achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and protecting the health of our people.”


More Updates

Work With Us

You change the world. We do the rest. Explore fiscal sponsorship at PHI.

Bring Your Work to PHI

Support Us

Together, we can accelerate our response to public health’s most critical issues.

Donate

Find Employment

Begin your career at the Public Health Institute.

See Jobs

Mural and kids' paintings hanging on a fence at a playground

Close

New Public Health Primer: Engaging Community Development for Health Equity

How can the public health and community development sectors to work together to advance health and racial equity? A new primer from PHI’s Build Healthy Places Network and partners provides a roadmap for forging upstream partnerships, with recommendations, strategies and lessons-learned from national, state and local leaders.

Explore the primer

Continue to PHI.org