We applaud President Joe Biden today, the first day of his presidency, on issuing executive actions to undo the Trump administration’s rollbacks of environmental health protections and rejoining both the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Health care is on the front lines of the COVID-19 and climate crises, which converged in 2020, with health care workers trying to care for patients with a novel virus while managing the fallout from historic wildfires, floods, and hurricanes. The good news is there are common solutions to addressing both crises.

The actions being taken on the first day of the Biden-Harris administration demonstrate their commitment to addressing what Biden in today’s inaugural address called the “cascading crises” our nation faces: the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting economic crisis, the climate crisis, and a racial equity crisis. The Biden-Harris administration is focusing on shared solutions to these crises by investing in a transition to a clean energy economy, striving for environmental justice, and cutting the pollution that is driving climate change.

Climate change is the most urgent environmental and human health issue of our time. This is the moment to seize the opportunities offered by climate action to help our country build back better by delivering a strong, equitable, and sustainable recovery. We look forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration to build a low-carbon, climate-resilient, equitable health care system and protect the health of all people from the worst impacts of climate change.