Climate Communities Network
Climate change is among the most important and urgent global health threats and opportunities of the 21st Century.
Featured
Community Leaders Visually Depict Their Priorities Related to Climate Change, Health, and Equity
About the Program
The Climate Communities Network (CCN) will bring together community leaders (“Members”) who work for community-based organizations in U.S. communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate change and climate-related health inequities. The CCN will elevate community expertise, experience, and efforts to address the structural drivers of climate-related health inequities in Member communities.
Alongside CCN Strategic Partners, who will be invited representatives from government, philanthropy, academia, and industry, CCN Members will influence and work across the Climate Grand Challenge to catalyze innovation, inform policy, drive funding, and co-design solutions.
The CCN will have two initial main goals:
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Events
Climate Communities Network Meeting #6 | October 2, 2024
Climate Communities Network Meeting #5 | August 7, 2024
Climate Communities Network Meeting #4 | June 5, 2024
News
Community Leaders Highlight Their Priorities Related to Climate Change, Health, and Equity | April 2, 2024
Network Focused on Community-Driven Climate Solutions Announces Members and Strategic Partners | November 9, 2023
Climate Communities Network Announces Sponsors and Collaborating Partner | September 27, 2023
Why Community Solutions Matter for Climate Change
Many U.S. communities do not have equitable access to the resources and infrastructure needed to keep people and neighborhoods healthy, particularly in the context of the worsening climate crisis. These communities are also often not engaged as equal partners in the decisions that affect their health and well-being.
In response to this, the NAM established the CCN and called for membership applications from local leaders representing community-based organizations that serve areas disproportionately affected by health-related impacts of climate change. Strategic Partners representing government, philanthropy, academia, and industry were invited to work alongside the selected Members to catalyze innovation, inform policy, drive resources, and co-design solutions.
As part of the CCN, Members will share their community’s stories, expertise, and experience; elevate work in their community or organization to address climate-related health inequities; access partnerships and tools to advance solutions; help inform climate-related policy, research, and other interventions; and influence the direction of the NAM’s climate work. Fundamentally, the CCN aims to shift power and provide a platform for communities disproportionately impacted by climate change and related health inequities. Together, Members and Strategic Partners, facilitated by the NAM, will become a community of practice, and Strategic Partners will play a critical role in co-designing and bringing to fruition community-determined solutions to climate-related health inequities.
Staff
Funmi Chinekezi, Director, Program Officer
Chris Hanley, Senior Program Officer
Cady Hyde, Senior Program Assistant
Emma Lower-McSherry, Research Associate
Samantha Phillips, Communications Officer
Grace Robbins, Associate Program Officer
Shaneah Taylor, Deputy Director of Programs
Sponsors
AstraZeneca
National Academies’ Gulf Research Program
The JPB Foundation
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Steering Committee
Cory Pouliot | Boston Medical Center
Jerry P. Abraham (Co-chair) (Member) | CDU-KEDREN Mobile Street Medicine (Kedren Community Health Center & Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science)
Blake Ellis | Chico State Enterprises
Gabriela Lemus | Maryland Latinos Unidos
Cynthia Robertson | Micah Six Eight Mission
Sheetal Rao | Nordson Green Earth Foundation
Zorie Valchev (Co-chair) (Strategic Partner) | AstraZeneca
Rajul Pandya (External Advisor) | Arizona State University
Shaneah Taylor (Co-chair) (Staff) | National Academy of Medicine
