Connecticut Health Professionals for Climate Action Joins Legislators to Highlight Urgent Health Impacts of Climate Change and Advance Clean Energy Solutions

The press conference recording can be viewed here.

Hartford, CT — Connecticut Health Professionals for Climate Action (CHPCA) convened alongside state legislators today to underscore the growing and urgent connections between climate change and human health, while advocating for forward-looking policy solutions to protect communities across the state.

As global temperatures continue to rise, healthcare providers are increasingly witnessing the direct and indirect effects of climate change on patient health. These impacts include worsening cardiopulmonary disease driven by poor air quality, heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke and dehydration, and the expanding spread of infectious diseases. Clinicians across Connecticut are raising concerns about the strain these conditions place on vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses.

CHPCA emphasized that Connecticut has remained a leader in climate advocacy despite mounting national and global challenges. Building on this momentum, CHPCA is supporting legislation this year to expand plug-in solar infrastructure statewide. This initiative aims to improve access to clean energy while delivering multiple public health and economic benefits, including reducing harmful air pollutants by decreasing reliance on fossil fuels, lowering greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change, and alleviating the financial burden of electricity costs in a state with some of the highest rates in the nation.

Credit: CTLCV

Credit: CTLCV

Dr. Mark Mitchell, a public health and environmental health physician and founder of the Connecticut Environmental Justice Leadership Collaborative, stated:
“Climate change negatively affects the health of all people, but some people are more affected. In Connecticut, so-called “natural” gas-fueled power plants, which trigger asthma attacks in people who have asthma, are more likely to be located in communities that already have disproportionately higher rates of asthma.  We need to build more rooftop and community solar that is accessible to low-wealth communities and communities with high asthma rates, so that we can close these power plants and reduce the cost of electricity.”

​State Senator Saud Anwar, a physician and Chair of the Public Health Committee, emphasized the critical importance of emissions reduction:
“The more polluted our air, the harder it becomes to breathe, but that’s the tip of the iceberg. Asthma, COPD and other respiratory illnesses can be made worse by exposure to polluted air; the strain it places on the human body can lead to deadly consequences. Add in that pollution worsens our air quality every day and has recently gotten much worse during both heat waves and cold snaps - and our power plants burned oil this winter when natural gas supplies were low - and the picture becomes more dire. We need to find ways to increase renewable energy to support our grid and change this landscape. Countless residents, and their health, are counting on us.”

Ellie Smith, a medical student, highlighted the importance of preparing the next generation of clinicians to address climate-related health challenges:
“Every effort made to educate tomorrow’s doctors on the harmful effects of pollutants and extreme weather on our population’s health is an investment into producing informed advocates for the most vulnerable members of our society in the clinic and beyond.” 
Medical professionals across disciplines remain deeply concerned about the accelerating health impacts of climate change and the need to both mitigate risks and adapt healthcare systems for a warming world.

​Stefan Marzcuk, medical student and Chair of CHPCA, concluded with a message of hope and action:
“Climate change is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time, but it is also an opportunity to build a healthier, more resilient future for our state. Expanded renewable energy infrastructure means cleaner air for our communities, and the solutions Connecticut chooses today can deliver immediate and lasting benefits to our patients.”
CHPCA remains committed to working collaboratively with policymakers, healthcare systems, and communities to advance evidence-based solutions that protect both planetary and human health.

Media Contact:
Mark Mitchell, MD
[email protected]
(860) 794-9497