Fostering climate justice at the local level: Auditing the Multnomah County/City of Portland (Ore.) Climate Action Plan

Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can have significant public health “co-benefits,” but may also reinforce underlying disparities in health status and vulnerability to the health effects of climate change. The Multnomah County Health Department audited the Climate Action Plan jointly adopted by the county and City and Portland, assessing its potential for positive and negative health impacts along with which population groups are likely to be disproportionately affected by them. This analysis was based on the relationships discussed in scholarly literature and white papers published by government agencies and thinktanks. We found extensive health co-benefits of the plan, particularly in goal areas that emphasize changing building standards; reducing vehicle miles traveled; and encouraging compact neighborhood designs featuring a robust land-use mix. Health co-benefits ranged from the decreased rates of the many conditions associated with air pollution to improved mental health due to increased social interaction in compact neighborhoods. However, many of the action items will most benefit more powerful groups like property owners and well-established neighborhoods, despite the fact that they may be at lower risk of climate change-related health problems. The audit proposes ways to mitigate this inequity through the addition and revision of specific plan action items, and implementation of an equity impact review process during the upcoming plan revision. Focusing on the content of a plan that has already been adopted allowed the Health Department to provide concrete recommendations on an issue that is often considered abstract and overwhelming. However, working within the parameters of the existing plan limited our ability to address the broader equity implications of the planning process. Evaluating the health equity impacts of a climate action plan can inform future planning to better serve the community, but it is preferable to apply an equity frame from the outset of climate planning.