Climate Change and Human Health: What Can We Do?
There are many actions individuals, communities, and organizations can take to help protect people’s health from the impacts of climate change.
On this page:
- Monitor and prepare
- Build community adaptation and resilience
- Reduce contributions to climate change
- EPA Resources
Monitor and prepare
- Many hazards associated with climate change are being monitored to help understand the changes and inform better preparation. There are many tools that monitor and communicate climate hazards. Explore some resources that people can use to prepare for key climate-related health hazards:
- The frequency of wildfires is increasing and hence their air quality impacts. EPA and the U.S Forest Service provide air quality data through the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map and EPA’s Smoke-Ready Toolbox for Wildfires provides information about how to prepare for and stay safe from wildfires including by using portable air purifiers or high-efficiency filters in your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to keep indoor air clean.
- Climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme events, including extreme heat, flooding, and droughts. EPA offers guidance on preparing for and responding to natural disasters. The CDC provides resources for protecting your health from extreme heat, drought, hurricanes, and vector-borne diseases (including by wearing long pants and sleeves outdoors and using bug repellant safely).
Build community adaptation and resilience
- Community member and local organizations can collaborate to create a community-based approach to prepare for, respond to, and recover from extreme weather events. Many communities are taking steps to reduce climate impacts on people’s health, such as planting more landscaping, setting up cooling centers, and constructing green buildings:
- Green roofs, greenways, trees, and other green infrastructure all help reduce the urban heat island effect and absorb rainwater to prevent flooding. They also provide benefits like improved air quality and habitat for wildlife.
- Check out EPA’s Climate Resilience and Adaptation Funding Toolbox to learn about financial support for climate-smart investments and NIHHIS’s Community Heat Action Checklist for guidance on community planning for extreme heat.
Reduce contributions to climate change
- Individuals can take many actions to reduce the impacts of climate change. Health care and other facilities investing in clean energy can help them become more resilient and cost-efficient in the face of climate change while helping reduce greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
Trees Help Cities Cool Down
Tree-planting programs have numerous benefits. They help reduce the impacts of heat islands, save energy, and improve air quality. To learn more about benefits of green areas in cities and other initiatives to address heat, visit the Heat Islands Reduction Solutions.
EPA Resources
- Explore the individual pages in the Who’s Most at Risk web area to learn more about specific examples of what people can do to prepare for and respond to different health impacts affecting different populations.
- Visit Public Health Adaptation Strategies for Climate Change to learn about ways communities can address anticipated, current, and future climate threats to public health.