About the Climate Change and Health Equity Branch

The CDPH Climate Change and Health Equity (CCHE) Branch envisions a State where all Californians thrive in healthy, equitable and resilient communities. Our team works to achieve this by building health equity, advancing climate action and improving living conditions through policies, systems and environmental changes.​

Why We’re Doing this Work

• Climate change is one of the greatest public health threats of our time.

• Those facing inequities are hurt first and worst by the impacts of climate change.

• Climate change policies can improve the environments where people live, learn, work, play and age, and represent a significant opportunity to improve population health and health inequities.
  

What We Do

• Work across agencies and departments to embed health and racial equity into California climate plans, programs and policies.
  

• Guide state investment and resource distribution to prioritize health and racial equity and climate resilience.
  

• Provide data, research and tools to identify and reduce the health effects of climate change and maximize the health equity benefits of climate action (including establishing a statewide climate and health syndromic surveillance program).
  

• Increase capacity of public health jurisdictions, Tribal health programs and partner agencies to work on climate change and health equity (including providing technical assistance​; facilitating a Local Health Jurisdictions Community of Practice and a cross-CDPH Climate Change and Health Equity Working Group).
  

• Engage with Tribes and internal and external partners to shift towards policies, processes and guidelines that increase communities’ power in decision-making.​
  

​Our Major Focus Areas

• Statewide Cross-Sector Climate Change Policy, Planning and Programs that promote health and racial​​ equity and build climate resilience for communities
  

• Land Use Planning with emphasis on building within unused and underutilized lands within existing development patterns (compact / infill development) and creating transit-oriented neighborhoods with easy access to daily needs to reduce the need to drive and facilitate healthy and active living

• Transportation / Clean Mobility Options that prioritize accessible walking, cycling and public transit
  

• Housing and Anti-Displacement -- affordable, healthy, energy-efficient and climate resilient homes
  

• Clean Energy, including reducing barriers for low-income populations and disadvantaged communities to access clean energy and ensuring energy security and resiliency
  

• Natural and Working Lands, including sustainable and local food systems that enable healthy eating and food sovereignty
  

• Urban Greening and Green Infrastructure that provide nature-based climate and health solutions
  

• Labor and Workforce Development -- support workforce development and hiring practices that advance racial and health equity in the low-carbon and care economies
  

• Community engagement -- meaningful community engagement that empowers communities facing inequities to drive climate and health policy and governmental decision-making

• Utilization of Health Equity Data and Tools​ to inform decisions, and to identify and prioritize State resources and investments to communities facing inequities and climate vulnerabilities
  

Our Recent Accomplishments