Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate (HPHC) is engaging in climate action in Minnesota. In August, HPHC submitted a written statement to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) calling for funds from the 2016 settlement with Volkswagen to be spent on electrifying the school bus fleet; the statement details the negative health impacts of diesel emissions on children.
Throughout August and September, HPHC members attended and gave statements at town hall meetings with state legislators. HPHC marched with an affiliate group, Health Students for a Healthy Climate, at the Youth Climate Strike on Sept. 20 and signed the Medical Excuse Note spearheaded by Healthcare Without Harm. On Sept. 28, members joined other climate justice organizations to support Indigenous communities at the Gichi-Gami Gathering, a rally and march against the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline replacement project. HPHC members also participated in a successful phone campaign to urge the MPCA agency to deny a water quality permit to Enbridge for this project. This was a key victory in the pipeline resistance movement
HPHC was on the front lines of supporting a major climate policy rollout on Sept. 25: Governor Walz’s Clean Cars Minnesota initiative, which seeks to establish cleaner vehicle emissions standards to reduce air pollution and increase access to electric vehicles. HPHC contributed a statement for the initial press release announcing the initiative, participated in the social media campaign to augment the message, and will continue to provide the health care voice in support of this process. HPHC remains committed to educating health professionals and the public about the impacts of climate change on health, with presentations in October to professional organizations such as the Minnesota Nurses Association and the Minnesota chapter of the American College of Physicians.