Climate Policies in Vermont

Vermont

The past three years, 2023 through 2025, have been the warmest on record globally since 1850, with the 10 hottest years recorded since 2015. The effects of climate change can be observed today through rising sea levels, wildfires, droughts and extreme rainfall. 

Rising sea levels and temperatures increase the risk of waterborne diseases by threatening drinking water, human wastewater treatment and drainage systems. Wildfires negatively impact air quality, which can lead to health conditions such as asthma, acute bronchitis and pneumonia. Moreover, high temperatures are associated with heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hyperthermia and dehydration, all of which can lead to severe illness or even death. Warmer temperatures also increase cases of vector-borne diseases, such as West Nile virus. Global warming is projected to continue unless there is a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Populations that are disproportionately affected by the health impacts of climate include pregnant women, children, older adults, individuals with disabilities, poor communities and communities of color. Black, Hispanic and Latino individuals in the United States face higher exposure to the harmful impacts of climate change due to where they live and work. Low-income and racial/ethnic minority populations are more likely to live in areas with the highest projected increases in premature mortality due to climate change. These differences have been made apparent during past extreme weather events: 

• After Hurricane Sandy in 2012, researchers found that lower-income neighborhoods were particularly vulnerable to flooding from natural disasters. 
• The 2017 wildfires in Sonoma County have had lasting effects on many vulnerable populations, including displacement, loss of employment and increased housing prices.

Technological advances play a prominent role in reducing dependence on greenhouse gases, including alternative energy sources, such as wind, solar and bioenergy. 

Several states have made efforts to reduce the impact of climate change by implementing cap-and-trade programs, promoting reliance on renewable energy sources for electricity and enacting clean vehicle policies. 

Climate policies may also consider incorporating emergency preparedness, given the impact that rising sea levels, wildfires, hurricanes and other climate-related disasters already have on communities. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has published disaster planning toolkits and other resources for vulnerable populations and communities with limited access to resources.

Healthy People 2030 has several objectives to promote healthier environments, including reducing the amount of toxic pollutants released into the environment, reducing the number of days people are exposed to unhealthy air and reducing diseases and deaths related to heat.

Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia have set specific greenhouse gas emissions targets, and 33 states have a plan in place or are currently updating plans to meet climate-related goals.

EPA. Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States: A Focus on Six Impacts. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, September 2021. https://www.epa.gov/cira/social-vulnerability-report.

Introcaso, David. “Climate Change Is The Greatest Threat To Human Health In History.” Health Affairs Forefront, December 19, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1377/forefront.20181218.278288.

Lieberman-Cribbin, Wil, Christina Gillezeau, Rebecca M. Schwartz, and Emanuela Taioli. “Unequal Social Vulnerability to Hurricane Sandy Flood Exposure.” Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology 31, no. 5 (September 2021): 804–9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-020-0230-6.

Masson-Delmotte, Valérie, Panmao Zhai, Anna Pirani, Sarah L. Connors, Clotilde Péan, Yang Chen, Leah Goldfarb, et al., eds. “Summary for Policymakers.” In Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. IPCC, 2021. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_SPM_final.pdf.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Implications of the California Wildfires for Health, Communities, and Preparedness: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2020. https://doi.org/10.17226/25622.