Metro Talks: Advancing Health and Equity in the Bay Area’s Quest for Climate Resilience

A Metro Talks webinar at 3 p.m. Wednesday, November 29th will discuss how to advance health and equity in the Bay Area’s quest for climate resilience.

This Metro Talks is presented by MTC, the regional transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area; and BARHII, the coalition of the Bay Area's eleven public health departments, founded specifically to advance health equity.

Extreme heat, catastrophic wildfires, record-setting floods and droughts:  The intensifying effects of climate change pose a clear threat to the health and well-being of Bay Area residents. This threat is particularly true for residents already living in communities that experience disparities in healthcare access and quality and health outcomes because of their race, income, neighborhood, language, immigration status and other factors. These communities are at greater risk of exposure to extreme heat and poor air quality due to climate-related health threats. They are more vulnerable to those threats, and have less access to the resources necessary to respond effectively.  

Register for the webinar.

Speakers will include:

• Melissa Jones, Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII)
• Matt Wolff, San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH)
• Elle Chen, Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)
• Chanell Fletcher, California Air Resource Board (CARB)  
• Moderated by Josh Bradt, Bay Area Regional Collaborative (BARC)

Metro Talks is a series of public forums aiming to seed and exchange ideas on how the Bay Area can transform for the better. The forums bring together prominent leaders and experts to discuss significant regional issues like housing, community development, climate change, the economy, technology and transportation.