May 24 :
In order to combat the global and domestic climate crisis, US President Joe Biden established the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC) under Executive Order 14008 on January 27, 2021. On May 23, Biden announced his intention to add twelve additional members to this federal advisory body.
Residents at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's paediatric residency programme Harleen Marwah is one of twelve new members. Marwah is one of the first chairs of the group Medical Students for a Sustainable Future, which is committed to reducing the negative effects of climate change on human health.
The 2020 Emerging Physician Leader Award, presented by Health Care Without Harm, recognises medical professionals who show extraordinary commitment to environmentally responsible healthcare and climate change mitigation. Marwah was one of these individuals. She is a valuable asset to the Council due to her background in youth participation and her work at the intersection of climate change and healthcare.
Others including Lloyd Dean, Tye Baker, and Anita Cunningham are on the list of people who may soon be appointed to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Beginning in 2004, Baker has been an employee of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma in a variety of capacities. From 2020 onwards, Cunningham oversaw the North Carolina Climate Solutions Coalition and the North Carolina Disaster Response and Resilience Network, both of which worked to strengthen communities' ability to withstand the effects of climate change. Dean, a prominent figure in American healthcare, is the former chief executive officer of CommonSpirit Health, a major US healthcare system.
Additionally included are Carlos Evans, Susan Hendershot, Igalious Mills, Jamaji Nwanaji-Enwerem, and Joanne Pérodin. Currently, Evans is the head of Dallas's office for environmental quality and sustainability. Hendershot is the president of Interfaith Power & Light, a group that works to involve religious communities in eco-justice initiatives. Mills is the executive director of the International Farmers and Ranchers, a group that promotes renewable energy projects in neglected areas and sustainable farming methods; he is a third-generation farmer.
At Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health and Emory University's School of Medicine, Nwanaji-Enwerem is both a resident in emergency medicine and an adjunct assistant professor of environmental health. Pérodin is employed by The Climate Leadership Engagement Opportunities (CLEO) Institute in the capacity of senior director of climate equity.
In addition, Tanner Yess, Donele Wilkins, and Michael Walton will be appointed to the Council. In order to combat environmental injustice, both current and historical, the Council provides recommendations and advice to the White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council and the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. For the first time ever, a presidential advisory body has been tasked with making recommendations to the federal government for environmental justice, with the establishment of the WHEJAC marking that precedent.
