Opinion: Building climate resilience fails to protect human health

The Department of Health and Human Services' focus on climate resilience is insufficient to address the extensive health impacts of climate change.

David Introcaso writes for Undark Magazine.

In short:

• The HHS Climate Action Plan emphasizes resilience without adequately addressing prevention.
• Resilience policies overlook the pervasive and constant health threats posed by climate change.
• The approach may lead to accepting climate disasters as inevitable, rather than preventable.

Key quote:

"Resilience is the categorical imperative of business-as-usual; it is crisis managers buying time. For others, resilience is exhausting."

— Ajay Singh Chaudhary, author of The Exhausted of the Earth.

Why this matters:

Focusing solely on resilience without prevention leaves populations, especially the vulnerable, in perpetual danger. This approach risks normalizing climate disasters instead of aiming to mitigate them.

Relevant EHN coverage:

• Peter Dykstra: 2021's unnatural disasters
• LISTEN: Gavin Rienne on children's health and natural disasters
• A disability should not be a death sentence during a natural disaster