When climate change becomes a health crisis, caring for our planet is also an act of caring for ourselves.
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
There’s no denying that the climate crisis intersects with our health. (Can we even separate the two?) Climate change is one big health scare, and we have to be proactive about it.
Here’s what we’ll cover step-by-step:
When climate change becomes a health crisis, caring for our planet is also an act of caring for ourselves. Start where you are, stay curious, and take one small step toward the healthier future we all deserve (and reading this Action Pack counts 😄)!
🎯 Action step 1 of 4: READ — Let's start by looking at a few articles together.
Not everyone walks around calling themselves a “climate person,” but if you enjoy breathing clean air or spending time outside, then you’re a part of the conversation. The health of our planet and the health of our bodies are deeply connected, even if we don’t always talk about them that way. These questions below are meant to spark reflection and conversation about that connection.
💡How do you think about the intersection of planetary and personal health? Do you think they can be separated? What would be different if we thought of ourselves more as animals within an ecosystem, vs. as humans against the natural world? How has the climate crisis been personally affecting your health?
💡How does nature improve your health? As a surprise to no one, living near greenspace can slash your depression. This TIME article reports that participants in a restoration pilot experienced a 51% drop in feelings of worthlessness! What are some specific memories you have of engaging with the world around you and how that improves your outlook on life?
💡What are some community interventions in your area that are promoting positive environmental and personal health practices? Food forests? Farmers markets? Community acupuncture? Check out this story from Chicago about food as medicine!
💡What would be one indicator that shows you WE DID IT (ie. we've improved towards the future we dream of)?
There aren’t right or wrong answers to these questions! The goal is simply to get curious about how our personal well-being is intertwined with the ecosystems around us.
Sometimes the path to climate action starts with noticing what makes us feel alive, connected, and healthy…AND imagining how we can build a world where that’s possible for everyone.
🏁 Checkpoint: This is the end of action step 1 of 4: READ.
🎯 Action step 2 of 4: LISTEN — we'll watch a short video or listen to a podcast to further expand on our topic.
Here's the healthcare paradox.
Climate change and the way we're living our modern-day lives makes our health worse. Rising temperatures affect everything. The Earth has a fever. A few degrees may not sound like a lot, but think of the last time you were sick by a couple degrees!
Here are some examples; please take care while reading:
📖 Climate change endangers mothers and children (Article)
Extreme heat increases the risk of infant death. Heat waves also raise the odds of early birth. Women who conceive during the hottest months of the year are at higher risk of pregnancy complications. A billion children worldwide are at extremely high risk from the effects of climate change.
📖 Consumerism, which drives emissions, also creates air pollution (Article)
Did you know that online shopping is linked to air pollution? "Nitrogen dioxide levels near e-commerce warehouses are 20 percent higher than in other neighborhoods. It can even be measured from space."
📖 Our mental health is also going down the ✨pooper✨ (Paper)
You've seen before in our Changeletter that 75% of us are scared about the future. The paper linked by Susan Clayton and McKenna Parnes shows that it also threatens our social ties and impairs the quality of our relationships.
📖 However, healthcare is a massive polluter. (We highly recommend reading this health care climate footprint report from Health Care Without Harm.)
The more sick people get, the more healthcare systems need to be scaled up to address it, and hospitals (and the whole medical supply chain) are a huge source of carbon emissions.
So, what happens when the thing that helps you get better is also the thing making you ill? According to the report, if the global health care sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet. The emissions corresponding to the energy it takes for cooling itself is as much as powering 110 coal power plants for an entire year!
So what do we do? Don’t worry, we got you.
🏁 Checkpoint: This is the end of action step 2 of 4: LISTEN.
🎯 Action step 3 of 4: ACT — Now it's time to do something. Let's go!
Your health is important and that comes with making sure our planet is a healthy place to live! Take action by choosing an area of advocacy based on NCCJC's 4 R's for Social Transformation framework.
1. RESIST gas stoves and swap yours out for induction.
Gas stoves leak even when they are off! Having a gas stove in the home can increase the risk of childhood asthma for 42%! The great thing about planetary x personal health is that there are sooooo many changes you can make on all levels: individual, household, societal.
Get an induction stove. Lobby your landlord for a heatpump. Take your retirement savings out of fossil fuels. (Some of these are costly, but some just require persistence. One thing at a time; you got this. Today, your action is to just make a list of changes you want to make for next year.)
2. REFORM by spreading the word that the climate crisis is a human health crisis.
The Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility has a "prescription for climate action" with reforms you can get involved with. One easy thing you can do at your next appointment is talk to your doctor about the importance of climate advocacy! Here are some more expert-guided advocacy resources.
3. RE-IMAGINE how urban design and the systems around you can make you healthier.
Is it access to fresh food? Walkability? Wheelchair ramps? Community healthcare clinics? This article from Grist showcases some solutions to make cities more pedestrian-friendly, like creating more parks. Get involved in one of these modifications!
4. RE-CREATE by planting native plants.
The health of our ecosystem affects the health of ourselves. Plant native plants!
5. RE-CREATE community care: please god check in with your human friends.
We often think of "community care" as this nebulous concept. If you're tripped up by it, focus on the people you already know and have in your life! So many folks are turning to AI chatbots for mental health support. Technology has its place, but personally, we want to live in a world where community is irreplaceable. It takes courage to reach out, especially if you're the one going through a hard time, but check in with a human person this week
While some of these actions require some form of change, taking care of our planet is ultimately taking care of each other! The future we’re hoping for is something we can build together. 🤍
🏁 Checkpoint: This is the end of action step 3 of 4: ACT.
Before we go any further, it's time for you to pledge your commitment. It takes less than 30 seconds to pledge and we can bother you about it in a friendly way, so we can hold each other accountable. Pledge here!
🎯 Action step 4 of 4: REFLECT — what can you commit to? What fresh perspectives can we look at?
Nothing heals the human heart better than the hope that art gives to us all. Reflect with this poem. "Homesick: a Plea for Our Planet." Andrea died earlier this year, but their voice will be remembered. This poem is best if you listen to/watch Andrea read it. Trust us on this. It’s our new medicine.
An excerpt from HOMESICK: A PLEA TO SAVE OUR PLANET by Andrea Gibson (You should really watch the whole thing. It may heal the cracks in your soul and the grief in your heart. But first, it will probably split it open.)
The earth is the right side of history.
Is the canyon my friend ran to
when no else he knew would echo
his chosen name back to him.
Is the wind that wailed through 1956 Alabama
until the poplar trees carved themselves into Dr King’s pulpit.
Is the volcano that poured the mercury
into the thermometers held under the tongue of Italy,
though she knew our fever was why her canals
were finally running clear. She took our temperature.
Told us we were too hot, even after
we’d spent decades claiming she was not.
Our hands held to her burning forehead,
we insisted she was fine while wildfires
turned redwoods to toothpicks,
readying the teeth of our apocalypse.
She sent a smoke signal all the way from California.
In New York City ash fell from the sky.
Do you know the mountains of California
used to look like they’d been set on fire
because they were so covered in monarch butterflies?
Do you know monarch butterflies migrate 3000 miles
using only the fuel they stored as caterpillars in the cocoon?
We need so much less than we take.
We owe so much more than we give.
Squirrels plant thousands of trees every year
just from forgetting where they left their acorns.
If we aimed to be just half as good
as one of the earth’s mistakes,
we could turn so much around.
Our living would be seed, the future would have roots.
We would cast nothing from the garden of itself.
and we would make the thorns proud.
🏁 Checkpoint: This is the end of action step 4 of 4: REFLECT.
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