Health and equity implications of individual adaptation to air pollution in a changing climate

Air pollution is the leading environmental risk factor for early death. Alerts guide people to stay indoors when air quality is poor. Climate change can worsen air quality over this century. We show that this creates conditions for rising air quality alerts, disproportionately for racialized, unhoused, and poorly housed populations. Relying on people to protect themselves likely offers minimal benefits compared to reducing emissions; however, boosting adaptation can offer additional health benefits even under stringent climate policy. New policy could, for example, compensate people for moving indoors, and improve access to clean indoor air. We address active policy questions about how to equitably protect health under climate change, identifying levers for action against an increasing, unfair burden of air pollution.