Finding hope for our health and climate November 8, 2024

Like many of our friends in the fight for a healthy climate, Physicians for Social Responsibility’s Environment and Health team is struggling to process the outcome of the election and its implications for our planet and health. While prioritizing self-care and community care at this difficult juncture, we are also taking stock of what the election means for our work to advance climate action and health equity — both good and bad.

The bad news. A second Trump term means that the climate movement’s focus nationally needs to shift to defense. We expect the Trump Administration will move quickly to:

• Pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement — jeopardizing the world’s best chance at limiting warming under 2°C.
• Block and rollback EPA’s climate rules for power plants, cars and light-duty trucks.
• Permit the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure on protected federal lands.
• Place former fossil fuel executives and lobbyists in top positions throughout the administration.

The good news. We had important state and local wins in this election, and we expect continued momentum for the transition to a healthy clean energy future:

• Washington voters fought to protect the state’s Climate Commitment Act. Thanks in part to the valiant efforts of PSR’s Washington chapter and its allies, 62% of voters rejected Initiative 2117, which would have repealed the state’s most ambitious climate policy.
• In another recent vote, Dr. Gwen DuBois of Chesapeake PSR pushed the Maryland State Medical Society to pass a resolution against fossil fuels. In the years ahead, we need private sector climate leadership, including from our professional associations and health institutions.
• The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will be hard for the Trump Administration to dismantle. Its massive clean energy investments are already benefiting millions of Americans, especially in red states, which has helped the climate legislation generate bipartisan support. 

We’ve got a plan to fight back.

• Resisting rollbacks. Rollback attempts at the federal level will be inevitable, but we can delay and fight against them in court. Simultaneously, we can enact similar measures at the state and local levels that will help to alleviate the worst of any rollbacks. PSR is working with allies across the climate movement to activate strong defensive measures.
• Strengthening our partnerships with state and local chapters. While the election means PSR national will take a more defensive posture, we see opportunities to make inroads in key states and municipalities. The next four years, we will continue to work closely with our chapters to advance clean energy policies and to defend against false climate solutions. 
• Caring for and defending those who are most vulnerable. Now is the moment to deepen our alliances, and especially to stand in solidarity with those most at risk. The fights for healthcare, economic equality, women’s rights, immigrant rights, LGBTQIA rights and racial justice are all critical to securing a stable climate and health future for all. 

We need your help.

We have been planning for months for a scenario like this, and we hope you will join the PSR Environment and Health team as we prepare for the struggle ahead. We need the powerful voice of health professionals, now more than ever.