{"id":13345,"date":"2025-10-24T16:46:57","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T21:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/?p=13345"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:34:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T16:34:21","slug":"how-data-is-powering-community-action-on-climate-and-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/2025\/10\/24\/how-data-is-powering-community-action-on-climate-and-health\/","title":{"rendered":"How data is powering community action on climate and health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

5 Takeaways from New York Climate Week<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By <\/em>Sarah Vogel<\/em><\/a>, Senior Vice President, Healthy Communities, EDF, <\/em>Dr. Arnab Ghosh<\/em><\/a>, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College and Stefanie Le, Writer, Data Smart Cities<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extreme weather is no longer a distant threat\u2014it\u2019s here. NASA reports that in the past year alone, the U.S. saw twice as many extreme weather events as the 2003\u20132020 average. Storms are stronger, heat waves last longer and wildfires spread faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At New York Climate Week, leaders from cities, universities and health organizations gathered to ask a pressing question: how can data help communities protect themselves? The panel<\/a>, hosted by Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and Environmental Defense Fund with the Community Data Health Initiative, City of Detroit, NYC Department of Health, NYU\u2019s City Health program and the African American Mayors Association, emphasized the role of data in shaping health-focused climate solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are five takeaways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Data is the backbone of climate and health solutions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard described how data revealed a stark divide in her city: tree-lined streets in the north are up to 7 degrees cooler than the south side, where residents face higher asthma rates and utility bills.
\u201cWe don\u2019t have the luxury of ignoring climate because we live at its intersection,\u201d she said. \u201cWith a 5 to 7 degree difference in heat because urban heat islands on the south side, tree lined streets on the north side. And what does that cause? More asthma, more pulmonary issues and higher utility bills for the people that can afford them the least.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Cities must adapt and mitigate\u2014at the same time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Detroit is turning vacant land into opportunity. With more than 124,000 empty parcels, the city is converting lots into urban farms.
\u201cIt can\u2019t be one or the other,\u201d said Trisha Stein, Detroit\u2019s Chief Strategy Officer. \u201cWe\u2019re protecting the vulnerable, stabilizing neighborhoods, growing locally sourced food and generating $23 million in health benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Climate and health aren\u2019t political\u2014they\u2019re personal<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson put it bluntly:
\u201cSeventy percent of our most intense storms have occurred since 2015. If we\u2019re ever hit by a Category 3 hurricane, three-quarters of Savannah would be underwater.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Lived experience shapes the strongest policies<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Margot Brown of EDF reminded the audience that climate change doesn\u2019t create inequities\u2014it deepens them.
\u201cClimate change is what we call a threat multiplier. So it doesn’t just create new challenges, it worsens the ones that we already face, especially for the most vulnerable populations. People already facing poverty or racism are hit first and worst. That\u2019s unfair\u2014and avoidable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Leaders don\u2019t choose their crises\u2014climate chooses for them<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Representative Maxine Dexter (OR-03) recalled Oregon\u2019s devastating 2020 wildfires, which burned more than a million acres. The smoke spread far beyond the fire line, endangering firefighters and residents alike.
\u201cWe must act with urgency and care,\u201d she said. \u201cThe smoke literally goes where the wind blows it. Wildland firefighters have been out there with bandanas over their faces, fighting for generations. You don\u2019t see mainland firefighters doing that anymore and we need that for our wildland firefighters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep Moving Forward<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The message from New York Climate Week was clear: science and data must guide climate policy. As Representative Dexter put it,
\u201cWe should be depending on science to make policy. Citizens must demand investment in research and data collection.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

5 Takeaways from New York Climate Week By Sarah Vogel, Senior Vice President, Healthy Communities, EDF, Dr. Arnab Ghosh, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College and Stefanie Le, Writer, Data Smart Cities Extreme weather is no longer a distant threat\u2014it\u2019s here. NASA reports that in the past year alone, the U.S. saw twice …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9413,"featured_media":13349,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"coauthors":[114101],"class_list":["post-13345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t