The Conversation: Why climate change is worsening public health problems
Chelsey Kivland, professor at Dartmouth College, and Anne Sosin, program manager for the global health initiative at Dartmouth College

“Around the world, the health care debate often revolves around access. … Yet focusing on access is not enough. The imperative for access must be paired with a frank acknowledgment that climate change is making communities around the world more vulnerable to ill health. … [W]orld leaders need to insist that any health care strategy must address the social and environmental vulnerabilities driving poor health in the first place. … [O]ur own health is not bound up simply in the present decisions we make about health care systems but rather more broadly situated in the changing natural environment. Closing the access gap has been a long battle and the gains cannot be underestimated. Yet the challenge ahead is even more daunting. … We believe that leaders must recognize that environmental policy is health policy. Rollbacks of environmental regulations will cause far greater consequences on health, in the U.S. and globally, than any health care bill…” (1/25).