Health professionals tell House panel climate harms Vermonters now and urge keeping state climate policies

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Health professionals and climate advocates told the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee on March 12 that Vermonters are already experiencing health harms from climate change and urged legislators to keep state climate policies in place.

The testimony emphasized immediate local health effects — increased asthma and other respiratory illness tied to wildfire smoke, more Lyme disease from expanding tick range, and mental-health impacts after repeated severe storms — and asked the committee for data tying specific state actions to measurable health benefits.

"I've seen the effects of climate change directly on my patients," said John Adrienne, a family physician and participant with climate-health groups, recounting cases of worsening chronic lung disease, more frequent tick-borne illness and the stress on families after major floods. Adrienne told the committee the 2024 flooding affected about 28,000 acres and that farmland losses exceeded $16,000,000, saying those economic effects translate into health problems for families and communities.

Adrienne and Dan Quinnman, introduced to the committee as leader of the Vermont Climate Health Alliance, linked climate-driven weather events and air pollution with both acute and chronic health problems. "The number one issue on climate change is mental health," Adrienne said, describing anxiety among younger Vermonters about future climate risks.

Witnesses pointed to national professional guidance on climate and health: Adrienne referenced statements from the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the American Public Health Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics as part of the broader medical consensus about climate-related health risks.

Committee members asked for evidence of direct local benefits from specific policies. "Vermont's contribution to global carbon emissions is very small," said Rep. Graham Kloepner (Chittenden-13), and asked witnesses to identify measurable, near-term health gains from state actions such as replacing older heating equipment with heat pumps, electrifying school buses or expanding the weatherization program.

John McIntyre, who identified himself during testimony, said studies in cities that switched school fleets from diesel to electric buses showed reductions in respiratory illness among children and residents living along bus routes. "In the cities where there was a change from petroleum-based fuel to electric buses, they found that the kids had much less respiratory illness," McIntyre said.

Witnesses said data exist for several topics the committee raised. Adrienne said weatherization programs produce measurable health-care savings for low-income households and offered to provide studies; he also described an informal inventory his group assembled that identified about 14 state programs addressing climate change but said budget details were difficult to obtain. He urged use of programs such as Efficiency Vermont to expand thermal-efficiency work.

The committee chair, Rep. Kathleen James (Bennington-4), said members want the data and will invite relevant agency witnesses as bills move through the second half of the session. "Please do send the data. We're a big data committee and any testimony you guys can submit on the developing facts about Vermonters and a changing climate, we'd love to see and we will read," James said.

Panel members and witnesses also discussed opportunities for hospitals and large institutions to reduce emissions and operating costs. Adrienne noted case studies, including hospitals that reduced net energy costs by capturing waste heat and investing in on-site renewables, but said up-front financing and siting questions often complicate implementation.

No formal committee action or votes occurred during the session; members asked for written studies and for the Department of Health and other state agencies to appear later in the session to provide data on health outcomes tied to efficiency, electrification and other mitigation measures.

The testimony focused on local health impacts and asked the Legislature to prioritize measures that produce measurable benefits for Vermonters while preserving broader state climate goals and accountability mechanisms such as the Global Warming Solutions Act. Witnesses also encouraged lawmakers to avoid rolling back existing climate initiatives; Adrienne specifically warned against H.289, which he characterized as seeking to roll back climate initiatives.