Understanding Challenges to Health Equity in Climate Action and Land Use Planning

Cole et al. (p. 185 in this issue of AJPH) argue that health equity is crucial to addressing the human health consequences of climate change. They underscore how effective climate action requires meaningful public engagement processes focused on increasing community capacity and the power to reduce health disparities in marginalized neighborhoods. Such findings are consistent with Méndez's1 study of the challenges of incorporating health equity into local climate action plans. That research focused on how California's cities with high levels of pollution and social vulnerability address climate change and public health. In general, the findings showed that in these cities, climate action planning and work on public health were occurring in a parallel manner rather than through an integrated approach. The study, moreover, highlighted the need to develop stronger partnerships with community-based organizations for linking climate action planning with public health.Cole et al., accordingly, in their recent study of 48 community-based climate actions, reference Arnstein's "Ladder of Citizen Participation"2 and explore how some of the climate actions offered the illusion of participation without any meaningful resident engagement. Furthermore, many of these climate actions failed to provide opportunities for power building: the empowerment of marginalized communities with the voice, capacity, and authority to determine how and what methods are needed to reduce health disparities through climate action measures.Our forthcoming research takes a similar approach. We analyzed the tensions stakeholders (i.e., government, community, and consultants) have in implementing a new California law (Senate Bill 1000) that requires environmental justice considerations (bit.ly/ 3FsN7Zh; bit.ly/3iJL5vM) to be included in local land use plans (i.e., general plans). Our analysis of 37 city and county general plans in localities determined by the state to have high levels of environmental injustice shows that they had minimal resources to carry out measures and engage in substantive community engagement.3 However, one approach to help overcome this challenge is urban planners' use of a strong public health framing.