As the world experiences escalating physical and chronic effects of climate change, including intensifying wildfires in California, extreme cold across the United States, and the increase in floods, hurricanes, and droughts globally, the well-being of people, the planet, and businesses is increasingly affected. Businesses must recognize the interconnection between business health, human health, and environmental health, as all three are mutually co-dependent for long-term prosperity.
When businesses integrate promoting health equity into their climate and nature strategies, they create co-benefits that strengthen business resilience, support vulnerable communities, reduce healthcare costs, and promote a healthier and more prosperous society.
In this toolkit, Centering Health Equity in Climate Action (CHEC), a BSR collaborative initiative, demonstrates how climate change negatively impacts the health of vulnerable communities and, in turn, affects businesses. Intended to help companies on their climate and health equity journey, the toolkit provides real-life examples from CHEC members who have successfully integrated health equity into their existing sustainability initiatives.
The following four practical steps are expanded upon in the toolkit and offer businesses a path forward to centering health equity within their climate strategies:
- Understand the company’s climate and health equity impacts
- Start with the most impacted in the value chain
- Measure, manage, and monitor
- Embed climate and health equity throughout the organization
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