Policy Roadmap

The document argues that integrating public health and equity into climate policy can broaden political support and save lives, estimating that low-carbon policies could avoid 1 million American deaths annually. It proposes a roadmap of legislative and agency actions, including banning natural gas expansion, transitioning to regenerative agriculture, and electrifying public transit, to align the U.S. with the Paris Agreement's 1.5C target. The brief emphasizes that health co-benefits could offset 10% to 41% of U.S. mitigation costs.

• Integrating health as a rationale for climate mitigation in the U.S. could avoid an estimated 1,000,840 deaths through plant-based diets, increased active travel, and decreased air pollution.
• Economic returns from health co-benefits in a low-carbon future aligned with Paris Agreement goals could cover between 10% and 41% of climate change mitigation costs in the U.S.
• The U.S. government's financial priorities have heavily favored fossil fuels over renewables since March 2020, with $72.35 billion committed to fossil fuel energy compared to $27.27 billion for renewable energy.
• To limit global warming to below 1.5C, the U.S. needs to contribute to reducing global emissions from 52-60 GtCO2e down to 25-30 GtCO2e by 2030.
• The document recommends banning the expansion and export of natural gas to mitigate climate change and reduce health risks, such as asthma and poor birth outcomes linked to hydraulic fracturing.
• Transitioning to regenerative organic agriculture could allow small-scale farmers and pastoralists to sequester more than 100% of current annual global CO2 emissions.
• Reducing food waste is identified as the third most impactful action for emissions reductions, with the potential to lead to over 90 gigatons of carbon reduction.
• Electrifying the U.S. transportation system could avoid 6,300 premature deaths, 93,000 asthma attacks, and 416,000 lost workdays, according to American Lung Association estimates.
• The brief proposes a 'just transition' to a green economy that includes a federal jobs guarantee with health insurance and fair wages, specifically targeting workers from the fossil fuel industry, incarcerated individuals, and those in low-wage jobs.

APA

Tebbe, N., Xiong, M., & Patz, J. (n.d.). Policy Roadmap. Global Climate and Health Alliance. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Health-and-Climate_An-NDC-to-Build-Back-Better_4-2-21_FINAL.docx.pdf

Chicago

Tebbe, Nova, Madison Xiong, and Jonathan Patz. Policy Roadmap. Global Climate and Health Alliance, n.d. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Health-and-Climate_An-NDC-to-Build-Back-Better_4-2-21_FINAL.docx.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tebbe |first1=Nova |last2=Xiong |first2=Madison |last3=Patz |first3=Jonathan |title=Policy Roadmap |publisher=Global Climate and Health Alliance |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Health-and-Climate_An-NDC-to-Build-Back-Better_4-2-21_FINAL.docx.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tebbendpolicy, author = {Tebbe, Nova and Xiong, Madison and Patz, Jonathan}, title = {{Policy Roadmap}}, institution = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Health-and-Climate_An-NDC-to-Build-Back-Better_4-2-21_FINAL.docx.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }