President Obama launches major new initiatives linking climate change, air pollution, and public health

Given the linkages between climate change and air pollution, including the facts that both affect vulnerable populations disproportionately and could be mitigated by reductions in diesel exhaust black carbon, it is surprising how rarely the two issues are linked by policymakers or environmental groups.

Source:  Draft “Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States…”

It appears that that President Obama intends to help build those linkages. On Wednesday, he discussed the relationship between climate change and public health in an event at Howard University, and the White House released the draft Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment for public comment.

Among the factors covered in the report are the health effects of ozone and Particulate Matter, and the impact of global warming on the levels of these air pollutants.

The White house also announced a host of new initiatives, including the official unveiling of the Village Green Project air monitoring stations.

Kansas City, Kansas was selected as one of the Village Green monitoring locations in part because of community awareness of air quality issues made possible by the work of the local community group Argentine Good Neighbor Committee, with the support of the Diesel Health Project and Global Community Monitor, participants in the Moving Forward Network.

Source: Leticia DeCaigny, Good Neighbor Committee and Diesel Health Project

Another very important announcement was the release of 150 health data sets on the Federal open data portal, and the very exciting National Day of Civic Hacking.

To learn more about these new initiatives, see the White House Fact Sheet:

Administration Announces Actions To Protect Communities From The Impacts Of Climate Change

To review the draft report:

Climate & Health Assessment

To find out more about the newly released data sets:

White House Releases 150 Data Sets to Fight Climate Change, Government Technology News

For background:

President Obama, others link climate change to public health, CNN

Opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author, and do not represent positions of the Moving Forward Network or its members. All errors are the responsibility of the author.