According to the World Health Organization, the combined effects of outdoor air pollution and household air pollution are associated with 6.7 million premature deaths annually, and only one in 10 persons in the world breathe clean air.

The continued emissions of greenhouse gases warming the atmosphere negatively impact respiratory health and can cause critical illness in multiple ways. Heat waves can trigger respiratory hospitalization and ICU admission for numerous health conditions, especially for older populations. Summer heat increases ground-level ozone pollution, a powerful respiratory irritant linked to asthma attacks in children and adults.  Warmer weather lengthens the pollen season and increases the quantity of pollen formation, which can affect conditions like allergic respiratory disease.

Warmer weather also lengthens the wildland fire season and promotes wildfire events.  As Americans were tragically reminded at the beginning of the year in Los Angeles, wildfire smoke is a major source of air pollution in many parts of the U.S. and around the world. The increase in large, devastating wildfires has caused tremendous human suffering and is a serious respiratory health hazard for all age groups.

These public health developments underscore the importance of the American Thoracic Society’s global public health and environmental advocacy efforts. Addressing these issues aligns with the Society’s core vision to accelerate the advancement of global respiratory health through multidisciplinary collaboration, education, and advocacy.

“For the ATS, the link between climate change and respiratory health is clear and remains a critical priority that requires urgent action at local, state, federal, and international levels of legislation,” explained Gary Ewart, chief of advocacy & government relations at the ATS.

Those attending the ATS 2025 International Conference in San Francisco can help offset the carbon emissions generated by their travel to and from the conference by opting for a renewable energy credit add-on to their registration for $25. These proceeds will be used to purchase renewable energy credits from Terrapass, an organization dedicated to reducing carbon emissions through a portfolio that includes engineered projects with strong permanence and quantification, nature-based projects that protect ecosystems, carbon reductions that prevent new emissions, and carbon removals that extract CO2, all aiming to achieve 100 percent removals by 2050 in alignment with the Paris Accord.

“In 2024, the ATS gathered $14,840 in voluntary contributions, allowing the Society to purchase 2,120 renewable energy credits,” Ewart said.

The scientific symposium, “Pulmonary-Critical Care Advocacy: Closing the Research-Policy Gap,” from 2:15 – 3:45 p.m. PT on Tuesday, May 20, will be another opportunity at ATS 2025 San Francisco for those who would like to gain more insight into ATS advocacy efforts.

The session will identify effective strategies to translate research findings into actionable practice and collaborate with legislative partners to maximize the impact of healthcare research. The symposium will use real-world examples from several pulmonary-critical leaders with diverse expertise who have successfully implemented evidence-based practices that translated into positive changes for patients and are currently leading forward-looking policy initiatives to improve outcomes and reduce disparities in healthcare.

For the latest updates on ATS advocacy news and initiatives, visit https://site.thoracic.org/advocacy-patients.

The ATS thanks Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for their generous support as the ATS 2025 Sustanibility Sponsor.