This commentary is by Scott Weathers, an advocate focusing on food and agriculture policy. He currently volunteers with the Vermont Climate and Health Alliance and the Vermont Sierra Club. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Vox, NowThis, Civil Eats, and more. He holds a master of science from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The damage of climate change isn’t a distant reality in Vermont — many of the effects are already here. Mitigating the worst long-term effects will require a society-wide transformation.
It’s exciting to see Vermont take large steps forward in sectors such as food and agriculture and transportation, but, as many critics have noted, we must do more. Climate change will hit Vermont hard, with low-income and other vulnerable communities being hit first and hardest. The tools we use to mitigate this damage must be up to the task.
S.185, authored by state Sen. Ginny Lyons, passed the Senate in May. This bill is a great example of the type of effort we’ll need to replicate across our economy and every level of government. It’s no surprise that this type of legislation came from Sen. Lyons, whose analysis frequently identifies where Vermont policymakers can take action.
During testimony, the bill received broad support, including from the Vermont Climate and Health Alliance. Outside of Vermont, states such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maine and California all have similar laws on the books.
The bill is simple enough. In short, S.185 asks the state Department of Health to “develop and adopt a statewide climate change response plan to foster resilience to the impacts of climate change in Vermont.”
This plan will pay particular attention to vulnerable populations and include specific, actionable strategies. Working with regional planning commissions, regional emergency management providers, and the Citizens Assistance Registry for Emergencies, the Department of Health will also develop a plan and communicate to mitigate and respond to climate change-related public health risks in Vermont. This work will then be submitted to the legislature.
Bills such as S.185 are critical because they compel us to grapple with the consequences of climate change and meet our responsibility to future generations. It also helps us remember that many of the consequences of climate change are already here. These consequences will expand to virtually every sector of our economy, and it’s critical that we plan with this in mind.
In this case, our health systems must seek to understand how climate change will alter Vermonters’ needs as they relate to vector-borne diseases, air pollution, and pollen, all of which will rise precipitously as climate change’s direct impacts take hold.
My partner, Mikaela, and I moved to Vermont this summer amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. This type of legislation fills us with hope, as we know it signals that Vermont is a place where our leaders want to create a liveable future for everyone. Finding a place where the politics around us reflect our values has been something we’ve craved. We’re so thrilled to see the Senate already take action to tackle long-term challenges such as climate change, even in the midst of a pandemic. Although S.185 is just a first step, it is a critical one for Vermont to take.
Importantly, taking action to mitigate the impacts of climate change should not come at the expense of keeping Vermonters safe from Covid. Currently, S.185 asks the Department of Health to submit a climate change response plan to the Legislature by July 1, 2021. I encourage legislators to work with health care providers to set a report date that permits Vermont’s hospitals to continue the lifesaving work of testing and treating Covid. Depending on when a cheap, widely available Covid vaccine emerges, the current date may be more or less attainable.
The good news is that, in the long run, disease prevention and climate change mitigation are compatible goals. Research has already demonstrated the connection between a host of emerging diseases (e.g., mosquito and tick-borne diseases and food and water-borne diseases) and the rise of climate change. Improving our response to climate change and responding to public health threats go hand in hand.
I applaud the Senate for passing S.185 this summer. Let’s encourage the House to do the same.
