Climate change is a public health emergency, with Dr. Ari Bernstein (EP.27) | CivicRx: thoughtful conversations about building a healthier world

Climate change is “the greatest global health threat… in the 21st century.” Even and especially in the wake of pandemic, climate change accelerates transmission of infectious disease, disrupts our health care supply chain, overwhelms our public infrastructure, and exacerbates chronic illness — from lung cancer to chronic kidney disease.

Here to talk with us about what this means is Dr. Ari Bernstein, a pediatrician, assistant professor, and the interim director of The Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE) at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Bernstein leads Climate MD, a program that prepares a climate-ready healthcare workforce. And he developed the Health Effects of Climate Change course, which has been taken by more than 100,000 students virtually in over 100 countries.

In this episode, Dr. Bernstein and I delve into the varied and multiplying impacts of climate change on health: our bodily health, mental health, public health and health care delivery. We discuss the responsibility of the health system to advance climate resilience and environmental justice. And we explore the policies and the questions the Biden administration must grapple with to make a dent in this global crisis.