88: Planetary Health Healers
According to the United Nations, climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. We see it every day in headlines, research, and outside of our windows. As public health leaders and climate first responders, nurses are often the first to witness the impact of climate change on people’s health and livelihoods, as well as its disruption to the ability of our healthcare systems to respond.
While the situation is dire and the stakes are existential, there are solutions that healthcare as a sector and a workforce can embrace to reduce the harmful and inequitable impact of carbon emissions. In this episode, we learn from public health nurse Kasey Bellegarde, MPH, RN and physician Jonathan Perlin, MD, PhD, president and CEO of The Joint Commission and former president of HCA Healthcare, how clinicians are inspiring an “all-hands-on-deck decarbonizing movement” and why committing to the Health Sector Climate Pledge is critical in lowering the health sector’s carbon footprint while also building a brighter, greener, and more equitable future for generations to come.
