“Climate change impacts are not contained by boundaries—nor are its solutions.”

STATEMENT FROM MARY A. PITTMAN, CEO AND PRESIDENT, PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE

“Governor Jerry Brown today cemented California’s role as a global leader in the quest to reign in climate change and protect the health of the world and its residents, by signing into law Senate Bill 100, which sets a 100% clean electricity goal for the state by 2045, and issuing a new target to achieve carbon neutrality by the same year. PHI and our Center for Climate Change and Health applaud the state, Governor Brown, and SB 100 sponsor Senator Kevin de León for their vision and international leadership.

“We need immediate, aggressive and multi-sector action to mitigate the most drastic effects of climate change—today’s actions are critical in beginning that work and to forging a path that the rest of the country may follow.

“Climate change is one of the biggest public health concerns of our times. The wildfires currently raging across the state and the hurricanes now churning in our oceans are intensified by rising temperatures, as are drought, flooding, heat emergencies and so many other climate-related events. Climate change has the most dramatic and longterm impacts on our poorest and most vulnerable residents, from direct health impacts like increased heart attack, inability to monitor chronic diseases, asthma and more, to longer term effects such as increased displacement,  and decreased food security and economic resiliency.

“Climate change impacts are not contained by local, state or national boundaries. The actions that contribute to climate change are felt by every world citizen—and the solutions offered today by California will be, too.”