Health, Equity, and Stakeholder Engagement in Regional Climate Change Mitigation Planning in California

Climate change is a significant public health threat, with a disproportionate impact on low-income and communities of color.  Not only are these communities the most vulnerable to future health impacts, they are also least likely to be represented in climate change decision-making processes.  Since they generally address multiple determinants of health, climate mitigation policies and strategies can have significant beneficial or negative impacts on public health and equity.  As such, public health’s engagement with climate change strategies and policies could be a significant lever in the fight against health inequities.

California Senate Bill 375 requires the creation by Metropolitan Planning Organizations of Sustainable Community Strategies (SCS); regional plans that align land use, transportation, and housing plans to reduce vehicle miles travelled and meet greenhouse gas reduction targets.  Multiple stakeholders fighting for social, economic, health, and environmental justice convened on the SCS process, forming coalitions to address multiple systems and advance multiple solutions for equity.

This presentation shares the successes, challenges, tactics, and strategies of health and equity stakeholder engagement that successfully elevated a health equity framework in multi-stakeholder collaborative planning in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area.  It analyzes the characteristics and impact of health and equity stakeholder participation on multi-disciplinary planning outcomes, process, and institutional structures.  This research uses a case study approach that includes in-depth interview, participant observation, and public document review in two regions.  These cases provide lessons for other efforts at public health engagement with climate change, multi-disciplinary planning, and Health in All Policies.