Between record-breaking summer temperatures and the increase in natural disasters, climate change is more visible than ever before. But what some employers may not see is the toll climate change has already taken on
Research from the Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health, Wisconsin Health Professionals for Climate Action and Natural Resources Defense Council found that symptoms of
"The reality is that climate change is impacting people's health right now," says Baylis Beard, director of sustainability at Blue Shield of California. "There are health impacts from asthma to premature labor due to high heat, to impediments to care like people giving birth on the side of the road due to flooding. Environmental sustainability and healthcare are critically connected."
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As health plan providers, employers are losing money to climate change. While not entirely in control of these health outcomes, Beard advises employers to begin assessing the environmental risks their employees face at home and on the job, using this data to build better policies and health plans for employees. This can be part of a bigger ESG tool called materiality assessment, which identifies the social and environmental factors that are the most important to company investors and stakeholders, as well as employees.
While the dangers of climate change may be more obvious for workers who typically perform labor outside (like construction workers or firefighters), Beard cautions employers not to overlook office workers. For instance, extreme weather conditions or high levels of outdoor air pollution can make commutes harmful to employee health, while the office itself may carry indoor air pollutants like mold or strong chemicals from cleaning products.
"Start with understanding what are the risks in your office space," says Beard. "Are you adequately protecting your workers from pollution indoors? Something like pollution impacts every major organ in the body."
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Employers should then consider the environmental threats that exist in employees' communities — according to the Pew Research Center, over 60% of Americans say that climate change is affecting their local community Beard notes that climate change disproportionately impacts communities of color, who often live in neighborhoods with less tree cover and more air pollution. According to the National Medical Association, Black people are 75% more likely to live near oil and gas refineries, and according to McKinsey Climate Analytics, residents of Black communities in Southeast states are 1.4 times more likely to be exposed to extreme heat than the overall American population.
"The heat in communities without tree cover can be even 10 to 15 degrees higher than in other communities," says Beard. "These are the same communities that have fewer resources to mitigate the harms of extreme heat — they may not even have AC. Climate change is disproportionately hurting our most vulnerable populations."
Understanding what's at stake in an employee's personal and professional environment can help employers anticipate what employees need from their policies and benefits. This may include air filters at work and at home, remote policies for heat waves in the summer and health plans with primary and preventative care. Beard points out that virtual health plans can play a big role in expanding access to care, too. She recalls the role telehealth played when a clinic had burned down after the deadly wildfire that hit Paradise, California in 2018.
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"Blue Shield was part of the response of integrating virtual care in that town, enabling people to continue to see their provider," says Beard. "Virtual care is part of climate resilience in a way that can be really powerful for communities as we're facing more disruptive, extreme weather events."
Beard also encourages employers to look for ways to include employees in sustainability projects, like planting trees and building community gardens. While those things may seem small in the face of the global climate crisis, projects that help improve the resilience of an employer's local community can have a lasting impact, says Beard.
"Employers that are not just talking the talk, but walking the walk, are making sure that they're being transparent, measuring and addressing their own footprint, as well as measuring and addressing the risks that their employees may face," she says. "That's a good place to start."
