We cannot make America healthy without addressing intersections between health outcomes and climate and environmental issues. State and local officials, healthcare providers, and community leaders recognize the urgent need for strategies that will collectively protect American health and well-being.
Mismatches between the tools we need and the tools we have are particularly apparent in the environmental space. There is a need for creativity and cleverness in how we approach environmental and other types of regulation.
While state and local governments can make significant advances, national extreme heat resilience requires a “whole of government” federal approach.
The U.S. is experiencing more frequent and intense wildland fires, but policy informed by science, evidence, and Indigenous perspectives can lessen the disastrous effects.