Declaring climate change as nothing less than a health emergency, 74 medical and public health groups issued a joint letter on Monday urging elected officials and candidates to commit to an agenda to combat the phenomena, The Hill reported.
“The health, safety and well-being of millions of people in the U.S. have already been harmed by human-caused climate change, and health risks in the future are dire without urgent action to fight climate change,” according to the letter signed by the organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Heart Association.
The letter, in which the groups describe climate change as the "greatest public health challenge of the 21st century," was released ahead of this week’s first Democratic primary debate, at which candidates are expected to discuss their plans to address the issue.
The organizations urged officials and those running for president to “meet and strengthen U.S. commitments” under the 2015 United Nations climate deal, an agreement from which President Donald Trump has vowed to withdraw the U.S.
Although the letter includes “a plan and timeline for reduction of fossil fuel extraction in the U.S.,” the groups are not calling for an outright ban on hydraulic fracturing, unlike numerous 2020 Democratic hopefuls.
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