238415 Case Study: A Public Health Campaign in 2010 That Successfully Defended California's Climate Change Program

Saturday, October 29, 2011: 10:45 AM

Richard J. Jackson, MD MPH , Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
The value of public health framing for a general public campaign related to climate change was tested in California in 2010. California State bill AB23 was proposed to repeal the 2006 AB32 bill, which required reductions in greenhouse gas pollution in the state. A coalition of public health and environmental groups chose to frame the need for AB32 and their opposition to AB23 in terms of public health, highlighting the health benefits that would accrue from reductions in conventional air pollutants in conjunction with greenhouse gas reductions, among other issues. California public health professionals were trained in climate change and health science and communications techniques related to the health co-benefits of greenhouse gas reductions. This talk will highlight the lessons learned from this training and the implications of the AB23 campaign for broader messaging on climate change and public health.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Communication and informatics
Environmental health sciences
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Program planning
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to: (1) Describe a successful case study in which a public health perspective was used to protect public health by defending an existing climate action program.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have 25+ years experience in public health communication and I currently chair a graduate program on environmental health sciences.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Effectively Communicating the Human Health Implications of Climate Change: A Skills-Development Workshop
See more of: APHA-Learning Institute (APHA-LI)