I am Dr. Linda Rudolph, a physician and formerly Deputy
Director in the California Department of Public Health.
Climate change is the greatest health threat of this
century. Thank you for this ambitious plan to address the climate
health emergency, especially a commitment to no new gas power
plants in California, targets to phase out gas power plants, a
planning process for phasing down oil extraction and refining, and
doubling statewide VMT reduction targets.
Many climate solutions have immediate and significant
health benefits, others may cause adverse health consequences that
perpetuate or exacerbate harm in overburdened communities.
Board
Resolution 17-46
previously directed the
CARB Executive Officer, quote, “to better integrate health
analysis broadly into the design and
implementation of the State's climate change programs with
the goal of maximizing health benefits.”
Unfortunately, a comprehensive health analysis was not integrated into the development
of the scoping plan before you.
Without a comprehensive health analysis, the Board cannot
be informed nor consider how various scenarios and strategies
impact health. For example, the Board has not assessed the
potentially significant adverse health equity impacts and costs of
carbon capture, dairy digesters, or low carbon fuels.
I ask you to incorporate into today’s resolution a
commitment to contract with independent public health
professionals with expertise in climate, health, and equity to
conduct comprehensive public health equity analyses to inform the
implementation of this Scoping Plan and development of the next
one. This contract should be
implemented – along with a process for active input from a
broad spectrum of health and environmental justice experts - as
quickly as possible in early 2023. This is the only way the Board
and its sister agencies can make informed policy and program
decisions that optimize health benefits and minimize adverse health
consequences of the scoping plan.
Thank you.
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