How Climate Change Is Making Us Sick And What We Can Do About It

Episode 537 1h 8m

Overview

I recently took a life changing trip to Antarctica to see what is really happening to our environment as the result of climate change. Before you roll your eyes or gloss over this email, I want you to understand this: Climate change is not just floods, droughts, a hotter planet, and deadly weather events, which are all scary enough to think about. It affects our whole body health—impacting chronic disease, infectious diseases, our food supply, our mental health, and so much more.

On my way to Antartica, I had an important conversation with my friend and climate activist, Amanda Ravenhill, about this very issue. In her words, apathy around climate change is dangerous. And we can't be apathetic because it’s at the grassroots level that we can create change.

In this episode, Amanda and I discuss one of the most critical aspects of climate change and human health—our food system. How we grow, produce, and distribute our food, from beef and eggs to soy and avocados, has tremendous implications on our health and the planet. Nearly every country and scientist outline a bleak picture for humanity if we don’t address the climate crisis. Yet, few are linking it to our food system.

Did you know our food system is responsible for almost half of all greenhouse gas emissions—from deforestation, destructive agricultural practices, and the fossil fuels used for processing, packaging, and refrigeration to food waste? Or that one-fifth of fossil fuels are used for agriculture and our food system? That’s more than all transportation from cars, planes, and ships combined. Government farm policy will only change when we vote with our dollars and our forks. Changes across the board from farming and corporate and government policies can help shift the entire system and help to reverse and prevent further damage. Amanda and I share how we all can be proactive about this pressing issue and why it should matter to each of us. If you care about your health and the health of our planet, I encourage you to listen to this episode.

Sponsors

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, InsideTracker, and MitoPure. The Dr. Hyman Show works with a select group of sponsors to allow for ongoing production and allow it to be zero-cost to anyone who wishes to listen to and watch the podcast.

Topics Covered

  • Why you should care about climate change if you care about your health

    (7:06)

  • Overcoming apathy to feel empowered about climate solutions

    (12:01)

  • Our food system is the #1 driver and solution of climate change

    (14:36)

  • Eating and shopping regeneratively

    (25:22:00)

  • Reframing carbon and its potential to promote planetary life

    (30:29:00)

  • The role of government and corporations in helping to create climate solutions

    (32:33:00)

  • The case for investing in women farmers

    (36:38:00)

  • Applying corporate personhood to grant personhood to rights of nature

    (44:46:00)

  • What you can do on an individual level to support the regeneration of climate

    (49:18:00)

  • Shifting the climate conversation from one of despair to one of hope

    (56:28:00)

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Ep. 537 - How Climate Change Is Making Us Sick And What We Can Do About It