Group will report back on a strategic plan at House of Delegates' 2023 annual meeting

The American Medical Association has declared climate change a public health crisis. The Chicago-based physicians' group also decided June 13 to advocate for specific goals related to global warming. The AMA House of Delegates adopted the new policy during its annual meeting.

AMA said it will advocate for policies that limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions aimed at carbon neutrality by 2050 and support rapid implementation of clean-energy solutions and investment in climate resilience.

"The scientific evidence is clear—our patients are already facing adverse health effects associated with climate change, from heat-related injuries, vector-borne diseases and air pollution from wildfires, to worsening seasonal allergies and storm-related illness and injuries," Ilse Levin, AMA board member, said in a statement.

"Like the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis will disproportionately impact the health of historically marginalized communities," Levin said.

The association said it will develop a strategic plan for enacting its climate change policies, including decarbonizing physician practices, and report back to the House of Delegates at the 2023 annual meeting.

The new policy builds upon AMA's existing work to promote environmental sustainability and halt the global climate crisis, the group said.

AMA in 2018 passed a resolution calling on itself to divest its investments in companies that get the majority of their income from fossil fuels; it also pledged to do business only with vendors that have policies on environmental sustainability.