Climate change is a global phenomenon, touching all life on Earth. Every place will experience its effects—including its impacts on human health—but not in the same way or to the same degree, as worldwide trends manifest through local weather patterns and environmental changes. Where a person lives will, in large part, drive the individual’s experience of climate change. Even within
a single place, individuals and communities may experience climate change in starkly
different ways. Some people are more vulnerable to the health impacts than others—
that is, they are more susceptible to and less able to cope with its impacts, often owing
to socioeconomic factors. Therefore, it is essential that in the United States, officials at
every level of government and other stakeholders act with urgency and persistence to
adapt (and to mitigate its intensity, although mitigation is not the focus of this series)—
and to do so equitably.