Sec. 3. Findings and sense of Congress on health and climate change
360 words·~2 min read·
/bill/118/hr/2764/ih/section-3·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds that, according to the assessment of the United States Global Change Research Program entitled The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment and dated 2016— the impacts of human-induced climate change are increasing nationwide; rising greenhouse gas concentrations result in increases in temperature, changes in precipitation, increases in the frequency and intensity of some extreme weather events, and rising sea levels; the climate change impacts described in paragraph
(2)endanger our health by affecting— our access to care, food, and water sources; the air we breathe; the weather we experience; and our interactions with the built and natural environments; and as the climate continues to change, the risks to human health continue to grow. It is the sense of Congress that— climate change poses threats to the United States and globally through its impacts on society, the economy, the physical environment, and physical and mental health; climate change health threats are growing in scale and severity; climate change disproportionately affects individuals in the United States who are economically disadvantaged, belong to communities of color, or have other social and health vulnerabilities; the health care sector accounts for 8.5 percent of United States emissions, further worsening the overall health impacts of climate change; and the Federal Government, working with international, State, Tribal, and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, businesses, and individuals, should use all practicable means and measures— to deploy a whole-of-government and whole-of-health approach to protect our collective health from the impacts of climate change and to mitigate environmental health impacts from health sector operations; to build a just health care ecosystem where all Americans have access to dignified, high-quality care in their communities; to ensure the health care system is resilient to extreme weather and can continue to provide care before, during, and after crises; to lead the health sector to decarbonize its facilities and operations in an equitable and just manner; to empower a thriving health workforce with good, high-wage union jobs and to recognize the value of all of the essential workers that enable high-quality health care; and to invest in, empower, and build safe, strong, and resilient communities.