On March 16, 2017, President Trump released a preliminary 2018 budget proposal, which outlines some of the changes that the President would like to see. Among those changes, President Trump has proposed a 29% cut to the State Department, which includes the elimination of climate-change prevention programs, including pledged payments to U.N. climate-change programs. The budget also suggested a 31% cut to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which would include the elimination of more than 50 programs and 3,200 jobs and would discontinue funding for international climate-change programs.
Just one day before the budget proposal was released, a group of family physicians, pediatricians, obstetricians, allergists, internists and other medical experts launched the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health. More than half of all U.S. doctors are members of one of the participating groups, which include the American College of Physicians (ACP); American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, Immunology (AAAAI); the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP); the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP); and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), among others. The mission of the Consortium is to “inform the public and policymakers about the harmful health effects of climate change on Americans, as well as about the immediate and long-term health benefits associated with decreasing greenhouse gas emissions (i.e., heat-trapping pollution) and other preventive and protective measures.”
They presented a new report, “Medical Alert! Climate Change is Harming Our Health,” which includes scientific evidence and accounts from doctors who believe that climate change is creating or worsening a wide range of health issues, including: heart and lung diseases; heat-related health dangers; the spread of infectious disease; and physical and mental health problems. The Consortium is working to raise awareness of the health risks that climate change poses to Americans, especially vulnerable communities who experience a disproportionate impact from climate change. In addition to raising awareness of the impact of climate change on human health, these medical societies are educating and working with policymakers and industry to reduce emissions, promote effective interventions, and strengthen public health infrastructure.
Given the proposed budget changes, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s history of rejection of established science of climate change, and President Trump’s view on climate change, it is unclear what the U.S’ involvement in fighting global warming will look like. In 2016, the U.S signed the Paris Agreement, building upon the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to fight climate change and to support developing countries in this endeavor. However, it has yet to be seen whether we will honor our commitment, but if we do not, we possibly risk devastating changes to our environment and also to human health.