Environmental health advocacy

The Academy urges strong public and private action to reduce pollution and mitigate the effects of climate change on patient and population health.

The AAFP is committed to being a key resource to primary care physicians—who diagnose and treat numerous conditions resulting from climate change and poor environmental conditions—while advocating for policies that better safeguard U.S. health.

AAFP members have access to information and education to better understand the impacts of climate change and poor environmental conditions and to diagnose and treat resulting conditions. Among the conditions affecting patient and population health are the following:

The Academy has joined more than 100 health care organizations in declaring climate change a public health emergency.

The AAFP also is a charter member of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, alongside numerous other medical organizations and associations representing more than half a million health care professionals. The consortium’s mission is “to organize, empower and amplify the voice of America’s doctors to convey how climate change is harming our health and how climate solutions will improve it.”