Healthy Climate America
Hosted by Dr. Lisa Patel, a pediatrician and Executive Director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, this podcast focuses on how health professionals, policy makers, advocates, communicators, and activists are working to tackle the different sides of the greatest health crisis facing us today—climate change.
The movement for climate and health justice is a broad one, and there are so many ways to fight for a healthier future. On Healthy Climate America, we’ll talk with infectious disease experts, mental health clinicians, labor advocates, and many others from all different sides of the climate movement.
We’ll discuss what got them started, what keeps them motivated, their biggest challenges, and most importantly, how they stay hopeful. Whether you’re a seasoned advocate, or just starting in your climate journey, this podcast is for you.
- Update frequency
- every 12 days
- Average duration
- 21 minutes
- Episodes
- 24
- Years Active
- 2024 - 2025
Sustainabil-ID: Healing People and the Planet
Sustainability in healthcare is no longer a distant goal—it’s happening now. Across hospitals, health professionals are rethinking long-standing practices to cut waste and make care safer, smarter, a…
Heart Over Head: Bridging the Partisan Divide on Climate
Climate change has become one of the most polarizing issues in American politics. For decades, the conversation has often fallen along party lines, fueled by mistrust, disinformation, and entrenched …
The Summer Series: Extreme Heat and Cool Surfaces
Extreme heat is a growing threat, and communities need practical solutions. In this episode, guest host Dr. Marc Futernick sits down with Jonathan Parfrey, executive director of Climate Resolve, to t…
The Summer Series: Extreme Heat and Pregnancy
Extreme heat is becoming a major threat to pregnant people and their babies. In this episode, guest host Dr. Bruce Bekkar sits down with Dr. Santosh Pandipati, Co-Founder and Chief Health Officer at …
The Summer Series: Extreme Heat and Housing
Guest host Dr. Neda Frayha sits down with Delaney Nolan, a freelance journalist based in New Orleans, to talk about the critical intersection of extreme heat and housing. They discuss the risks, what…
The Summer Series: Extreme Heat and Medication Interactions
From antidepressants to beta-blockers, common medications can make heat more dangerous. Guest host Dr. Neha Pathak sits down with Dr. Hayley Blackburn to talk about how heat intereacts with common me…
The Summer Series: Extreme Heat and Workers’ Health
Across the country, we’re seeing the growing impacts of extreme heat, and workers are among those on the frontlines. As temperatures rise, so do the dangers of heat-related illness, injury, and death…
The Summer Series: An Intro to Extreme Heat
On the first episode of our Summer Series, Lisa Patel sits down with Marc Futernick, an emergency medicine physician in California (and future Summer Series host!). Listen along as they lay the groun…
The Unseen Side of Wildland Firefighting
From Los Angeles to Lahaina, wildfires are increasing in frequency and severity. The destruction is evident: destroyed homes, devastated communities, lives lost. But the health harms firefighters fac…
Teaching the Choir to Sing: How Health Professionals Can Fight Misinformation
Misinformation spreads fast, and we've all witnessed the consequences. Vaccine misinformation, climate denialism, and a host of medical conspiracy theories aren’t just fringe ideas anymore; they’re…
Live Episode: Stories of Self
Join us for our first ever live episode, recorded at the Consortium's Annual Convention. We'll hear from four storytellers who shared what inspired their journey in climate and health. Listen to the …
Nature, Disease, and a Changing Planet
Host Lisa Patel sits down with Dr. Neil Vora for a conversation on the intersection of climate change and infectious disease. They explore how rising global temperatures and environmental disruption …
Health Voices in the Courtroom: Supporting Youth in Held v. Montana
In August 2023, a group of brave young Montanans took a stand for their right to a healthy environment—and they won. Join Lisa as she speaks with Drs. Lori and Rob Byron, who contributed their medica…
How We Organize to Win for Climate and Health
In the past eight weeks, we’ve seen cuts to the federal workforce, a rolling back of environmental protections, and a host of other threats to our democratic institutions. Host Lisa Patel sits down w…
Threat Multiplier: Climate Change and National Security
Climate change isn’t just an environmental crisis—it’s a national security threat. Today, we’re diving into how climate change affects global stability and military preparedness. From extreme weather…
The End of Chevron: What It Means for Health and the Environment
Host Lisa Patel talks with John Walke, senior advocate at the NRDC, about the Supreme Court's elimination of Chevron deference—a move that shifts interpretation of regulations from agency experts to …
Building Momentum, Building a Movement: Advocacy Within Medical Societies
How do you inspire a major medical society to take on climate action? Dr. Jerry Abraham has some powerful insights. Join him and host Lisa Patel as they explore his path into climate advocacy, his de…
The False Promise of Natural Gas: Exploring LNG Advocacy
At just 12 years old, Dr. Laalitha Surapaneni's life was forever changed by a devastating explosion at a liquefied natural gas plant in her hometown. Now, as a leading advocate against LNG production…
Gas Stoves & Indoor Air: The Health Risks We Need to Talk About
In this episode of Healthy Climate America, host Lisa Patel discusses the hidden health hazard of indoor air pollution with guest Brady Seals, lead author of a groundbreaking study linking gas stoves…
From Anxiety to Action: Protecting Mental Health in a Changing Climate
In this episode of Healthy Climate America, host Lisa Patel speaks with Dr. Elizabeth Pinsky, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and pediatrician at Massachusetts General Hospital. They discuss the …