An Open Letter to President Trump

Date: January 2, 2020

Donald J. Trump
President of the United States
White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Trump,

Americans often welcome in the New Year by making resolutions. In that spirit, many of us are committing to taking steps to improve our health. We’re resolving to move more, eat better and get more fresh air. We’re trying to improve our financial health as well, by spending more wisely. Mr. President, with one action, you could help us achieve all of these things:

Stop our withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Our organizations represent hundreds of thousands of our country’s doctors, nurses and other health care providers. We are seeing, right now, the harms to our health that global warming is creating. We foresee much greater health harms to all Americans, especially our children and grandchildren, if we do not join with the rest of the world to respond to the climate crisis—because climate change is a public health emergency.

Rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement is not just about preventing the worst of the devastating health harms climate change will bring. It’s also about seizing this public health crisis and turning it into a major public health opportunity. Climate solutions are health solutions.

Accelerating the inevitable progress toward renewable energy and energy efficiency will allow us all to breathe cleaner air and drink cleaner water. Building our communities and transportation systems to be biking- and walking-friendly, and building more affordable mass transit will help people live more active, healthier lifestyles.  Climate-friendly approaches to agriculture, soil management and forests will improve the quality of our food, water and air.

Every one of these steps will save lives, increase productivity and reduce health costs.

America can do this. And the world needs America’s leadership.

President Trump, we ask you to make a New Year’s resolution that will protect and improve the health of every American next year and every year to come.

Stop the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.

Signed, Mona Sarfaty, MD
Executive Director
Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health


We join with the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, to ask President Donald J. Trump to make a New Year’s Resolution to protect Americans’ health, safety and wellbeing by stopping the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology
American Association for Community Psychiatry
American College of Physicians
American Medical Association
American Medical Student Association
American Medical Women’s Association
American Mental Health Association
Association of Academic Physiatrists
California Medical Association
Center for Climate Change and Health
Chef Clinic
Citizens’ Climate Lobby
Clean Air Carolina: Medical Advocates for Healthy Air
Climate Health Now
Climate Psychiatry Alliance
Endocrine Society
Florida Clinicians for Climate Action
Georgia State Medical Association
Islamic Medical Association of North America
Massachusetts Medical Society
Medical Students for a Sustainable Future
Montana Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of Social Workers: North Carolina
National Medical Association
Ohio Clinicians for Climate Action
Physicians for Social Responsibility
RelationshipCounseling
The OneWelfare Phoenix Project
T. Leroy Jefferson Medical Society
Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment
Vermont Climate and Health Alliance
Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action
Martina Abba-Richard
Susan S. Abrahms
Carmen Acevedo
Kelsi Adams, MSW
Whitney Akhtar, LCSW
Natalie Allen, LCSW
Molly Alvord, MSW, LCSW-C
David Ammend, MD
Alex Aria
Hajra Aziz
Shaileen Backman
Holly Baird, MBA
Lee C. Ballance, MD
Kess L. Ballentine
Swechya Banskota
John Barbieri, MD
Annie Barr
Allan Barsky, JD, PhD
Beth Barta, LCSW
Ingrid W Bauer, MD
Melissa Becerra
Bianca Bell, LMSW
Mark Alan Bell, LMSW
Aileen Beaver
Mae Bennett
Bradi Bergesen
Linda Berkowitz
Kurstie Bevelhymer-Rangel, MSW, LSW
Maya Bither
Michael Blacet
Rosemary Blakemore
Ashley R. Blanchard, MSW
Alisha Bolin, MSW
Genna Bonfiglio, MD Candidate
Linda Bong
Markus Boos MD, PhD
Moi Boudoir
Emilie Boyes
Stephany Brackett
Rachel Brannon
George Brengel
Andrea Brixius
Megan Brodie
Nancy Brower
Cynthia Brown
Timothy A. Brown
Jerrold Brucker
Heather Bryant
Laurie Butler-Echandia
Kathy Byers
Jennifer Byrne
Dr. Marie A. Cabiya
Ashleigh N. Cameron
Jacqueline Campbell
Karlene Cappell
Rosemarie Carbino
Catherine Carroll
Janet Castellini
Dionne Catledge, LCSW
Dennis Chapman, PhD, LCSW
Michele Chaudhry, LICSW
Jean Christianson
Esther Chung, MD
Valeria Clarke
Dawn Clayton
Theresa Cluse-Tolar
Heather Clutter
Carrie Cochran
Rhonda E. Cofield
Amy Collins, MD
Cloe Cooper
Frank A. Cornella, DDS, MD
Dustin Jeremy Corwin
Tyler Coy
Tabitha Curtis
Roxana Daneshjou, MD, PhD
Vincenza Dante
Barbara Davis, LCSW
Susan Deisroth
Elizabeth (Lisa) Del Buono, MD
Zelda Demmel
Barb Detlefsen
Kelley Dennings
Joelle Depeyrot
Corinne DeRosa
Alberto Diaz
Yesenias Diaz
Rita L. DiVenti
Carey Doetschman
Elizabeth Douglas
Thomas M. Durante
Elena Earl
Erica Echeverri
Julian M Edelman
Shannon Ehlert
Luise Eichenbaum
Ruth L. Eichler
Peter M. Elias, MD, MS
Michal Elias-Bachrach
Bernadette Elinsky
Haley Elson
Lauren Emma
Christine A. Fahey
Dorothy A. Faller
Michael A. Fasulo, LCSW (retired)
Estelle Fineberg
Eli Finer
Janet L. Finn
Michael Forster
Samantha Foss
Jeffrey Frank
Jessica Frankel
Anita Louise Franz, OSF, LCSW
Robert Fraser
Susan M. Frechette, LCSW
Jo Frederic
Faith Freedman
Richard Galvin
J. Gamble
Iliana D. Garcia
Megan Garver
Dianne Gaschler
Lisa Gelczis
Helen C. Gennari
Audrey Gerdt
Janice Giampaoli
Haley Gilmore
Casey Golab, MD
Roger Goldblatt
Madeline Gonzalez
Elisa Gores
Jacqueline Graham, MSW
Susanne Groenendaal
Robert Haas
Virginia E. Haase
Julie Hadler
Heidi C. Hall
Analisa V. Halpern, MD
Carol Halpern
Remi Hamel
Heather A. Hamilton-Drach, LSW, MSW
Julie H. Hansen, LCSW
Stephen L. Hansen, MD
Deborah L. Haradon
Vickie Haralson
Lynne Harrison
Carolyn Hart-Hults
Nicolaus Hawbaker
Courtney Haworth
Carol Hendler
Robin Hershkowitz
Jane Hesser
Andrea Hill
Brigid Hilton
June Hobbs
Susan Gail Holmen
Natalie Hopfield
Lisa Hoskins
Amber Howard
Sherry Hubbard
Barbara J. Huhn
Alyssa Jenkins
Amber Johnson
LCDR Christopher Johnson
Gail Johnson, LCSW
Heather A. Jones, MD
Tynesha Jones, LCSW
Peter G. Joseph, MD
Mildred C. Joyner
Jamie K.
Henry Kahn, MD
Lindsay Kant
Lisa E. Katz
Kevin Keefe
Sherill Keenan-Kalmer, MSW, LCSW
Catherine Keever
Karen Keniston
Lauren H. Kerstein
Anu Kewalramani, MD
Laney Kibel
Renata Kiefer, MD
Pamela Kiernan
Lori D. Kinstad
Mary Anne Knapp
Amanda M. Knee
MaryEllen Kober
Susan M. Kocik
Emily E. Kofron
Laura Kogel
Heidi Kolman
Tina Koopersmith
Judith Kowalik, LICSW
Ann Marie Kraemer
Christina Krantz
Michelle Kraut
Bruce Krawisz, MD
David LaCharite
Ashley Lambert
Karin D. Laszakovits
Marlene L. Lathrop
Dorfman Laura
Gabrielle Lee, BSW
Krissa Lee-Regier, LCSW
Julie LeMaster
Jay Lemery
Julia Levine
Cheryl Lewis-Gilpatrick
JD Lewis-Kelly
Suzanne R. Lippuner
Judith Little
Nancy E. Livingston
Kalliopie River Llewellyn-Moon
Erin Locke, MD
Anna Luby
JoAnn Lusky
Kristin A. Lynch, MD, FAAP
Amber MacCarthy
Edward Maibach, MPH, PhD
Deborah Malgeri
Megan Malgeri
Nina Manganaris
Harmonie Mangin
Edith Mann
Jeffrey Mann
Karen Marshall
Susan L. Martin
Harleen Marwah
Helen Maslocka, PhD
Bob Mason, LCSW
Derek S. Mason
Josephine McAllister, MD
Timothy H. McCalmont, MD
Ronda McCarthy, MD, MPH
Barbara McCloud
Ashley McClure, MD, FACP
Brittany McConnell
Jenny McCormick, LCSW-C
William H. McCoy IV, MD, PhD
Gregory McGann, LCSW
Keanan McGonigle, MD, MPP
Bonnie McKeegan, LCSW
Patricia Mercer
Martha Michael
Alicia Miller
Ashley A. Miller
Linda Menesez
Mark B. Mengel, MD, MPH
Mike Menzel, MD
Linda Mertz
Eman Mesgina
Melissa Mojica Cruz, BSW
Alejandro Molina-García
F. Michael Montgomery
Samantha Moon
Terry Moore
Gail F. Moran, LCSW
Amy E. Morgan
Vicki Muir
N. Nanjad
Peggy B. Nash
Carmen Negron
Dawn Nemeth
Sheila Nissim
Jessica Oakes
Elizabeth S. Omberg
Nuria Querol, MD, MSc, BSc
Claudia Ramirez
Elise Riley, MD
Paul Robinson, MD, PhD
Cheyanne Rocha Neumeyer
Paul Nghiem, MD, PhD
Megan Noe
Annalise Oatman
Karen Oberg
Michael O’Connell
Allison O’Connor
Tijuana Odom
Kate O’Donnell
Carole Olderman
Karen Oles
Anna L. Palid
Michelle M Pandolfi, LMSW, MBA
Pearl Pappas
Urvi Patel
Emily Paton
Jerome A. Paulson, MD
Mark Pedigo
Rose Peifer
Janet Perlman
Alan Peterson, MD
Sandra M. Peterson
Sunita Phillips
Cynthia Pittman-Osula
Laura Piuca-Hinkes
Phyllis Pleuss, LCSW
Margaret Polinsky, MSW, PhD
Lisa Ponce
Douglas Popper
Nancy Prowell, LCSW, CASAC, ACSW
Elizabeth Pulido, LSW, MSW
Rebecca Rabinowitz
Joanna Ransdell
Raven Anne Register, MSW, LICSW
R. Reid
Carole Reifsnyder
Stacey Remick-Simkins
Kim Reno
Kathleen Repole
Katherine Reynolds
Ritchmy Richard
Janet S. Richmond, LICSW
Dr. Rachael Richter
Shelly Rivas, MD
Oscar Rivera
Abraham Robert
Jennifer G. Robinson, MD, MPH
Vickie Robinson
Nancy Rocco
Peter and Debby Rockwood
Gladis Rodriguez, LCSW
Kim Roser-Kedward
Federico Rossi, MD
Cheryl A. Rothberg
Harilyn Rousso
K. Rowlett
Debbie Royalty
Hia Rubenstein
Caitlin Rublee
Colleen Ruffini
Javier Santana, MD
Shirley Sapena
Rebecca Saunderson
Sarah Schear, MS, MD Candidate
Melissa Schedler
Julia Schoen, MD
Jonathan Sellman, MD, MPH
Emily Senay
William T. Shahan, LCSW
Rebeca Shalom
David Shannon, LICSW
Abigail Shepherd
Elizabeth Shumate
Daria Sievers, MSW, LCSW
Jeremy M. Silcox
Felicia Simpson
Claire Siverson, LCSW
Alison Smith
Ann Smith, LCSW-C
David L. Smith, MD
Kathleen Smith
Sherry Smith
Wayne Solomon
Sudarshan Srirangapatanam
Mickie Stimpson, LCSW
Abigail Stoyer, BSW
Paul Stretch
Sarah Struthers, MD
Michelle Studer
Megan Stys
Any Sucich, LCSW-R
Barbara J. Swanson
Jan Swanson, Psy.D., LP, ABPP, FAIHM
Nicole Sweet
Amy Elise Tanner
Nancy Tanner
J. Michael Taylor, MD, MPH
Eileen Templin
Catherine Thomasson, MD
Melissa Timpson
Adrian Todd
Catherine Toms
Richard Torbeck
Shirley Tung, LCSW
Ron Unger, LCSW
Dorinda VanKempen
Athena Viscusi
Carmela C. Vittorio, MD
Susan Wack
Maya Wahrman
Shannon Wall
Hobart Walling, MD
Patricia M. Wallace, LMSW
Hugh J. Walker
Clara Weeks-Boutilier
Wendy Weinberg
Leticia White
Nicole Whitman
Sarah Wiard
Kelly Williams
Kimberly D. Williams, PhD
Mary L. Williams, MD
Aubri J. Wing, LICSW
Jeanie Witcraft-Shiau
Susan Witt
Jennifer Wittmann, LCSW, LCAS
Harry Wollenberg
Pat Woodside
Dr. Michael Wright
Destinea Wright-Perkins
Xai Yang
Byron Yue
Fred Zang
James Zanzucchi
Lela Zaphiropoulos
Rebecca Zeligman, LCSW-C
Megan Ziegler
Christine Zimmerman
Deanna Zobel-Grey
Daniela Zollo