Cities 1.5 - What is the climate crisis doing to our bodies and brains?

What is the climate crisis doing to our bodies and brains?

10/15/24 • 49 min

This episode delves into the intersection of the climate crisis and public health, with a particular emphasis on how the former is impacting on our bodies and our brains. Conversations with both featured guests explore how climate change exacerbates traditional health issues and introduces new risks, such as the increasing range of vector-borne diseases and what that means for the future of healthcare in cities. Our brains are also at risk, with extreme weather and rising temperatures impacting our behaviour and the neurological development of our children - even before they are born. It is crucial for academia and science to push for interdisciplinary collaboration and actionable research to inform urban climate policy if we are to meet these new challenges and safeguard public health, particularly the most vulnerable populations.
Image Credit: Photo by Jesse Orrico on Unsplash.
Featured guests:
Clayton Page Aldern is an advisor, data scientist, author and journalist at Grist (but who has also been widely published elsewhere) whose work is focused on homelessness policy, climate change, and neuroscience. His book, The Weight of Nature: How a Changing Climate Changes our Brains, examines how the climate crisis impacts brain health, covering topics like extreme weather effects on prenatal development, PTSD in first responders, and neurological changes linked to the climate crisis.
Quinn Adams is the Scholar in Residence at the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy & Economy and a PhD candidate at Boston University School of Public Health. Her research focuses on the health risks from climate change and extreme weather events. She is particularly interested in action-oriented research and identifying strategies to reduce health impacts, with her dissertation focusing on the growing risks of the climate crisis altering the ranges of vector-borne diseases.
Links
Climate Change and the Health of Socially Vulnerable People - United States Environmental Protection Agency Pregnancy during Hurricane Sandy linked to kids’ psychiatric disorders, study says - Washington Post
More jobs, better heal

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website: https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and Cities 1.5 is supported by C40 Cities and the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy. You can sign up to the Centre newsletter here. https://thecentre.substack.com/

Our executive producers are Calli Elipoulos and Peggy Whitfield.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music is by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website: https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Our executive producers are Calli Elipoulos and Peggy Whitfield.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music is by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

Previous Episode

A cwtch for the planet and future generations

In this episode of Cities 1.5, host David Miller speaks with Sophie Howe, the world's first Future Generations Commissioner about her role and the landmark Wellbeing of Future Generations Act - legislation passed by the Welsh government which aims to improve the environment, economy, society, health and wellbeing of Wales and its people, both now and for future generations. They discuss the critical role of forward-thinking governance in addressing planetary emergencies, and the importance of integrating long-term impacts into current policies. The conversation covers how Wales' unique approach has influenced the creation of global declarations like the Pact for the Future, which was adopted by leaders at the UN Summit of the Future in September 2024. We share crucial insights for cities, mayors and national governments who are looking to adopt similar principles, and highlight the transformative power of local leadership in driving global climate action. Listeners will also learn what a cwtch is, and why both people and the planet need one!
Image Credit: Photo by Patrick Gillespie on Unsplash
Featured guests:
Sophie Howe, Sustainability, Futures and Wellbeing Adviser and the first Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
Links
JCCPE - Special Issue on Ecological Economics
Earth may have breached seven of nine planetary boundaries, health check shows - The Guardian
UN Summit of the Future
UN Pact for the Future
Future Generations Commissioner for Wales website
Wellbeing for Future Generations Act
Welsh road building projects stopped after failing climate review - The Guardian
Cities 1.5 - Lessons in Wellbeing Economics: Engaging local communities to bring Academic Principles into Urban Practice
Wellbeing economy policy design guide - C40 Knowledge Hub

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website: https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Our executive producers are Calli Elipoulos and Peggy Whitfield.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music is by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

Next Episode

What does a good life mean for you?

In this episode of Cities 1.5, David and his guests from countries on opposite sides of the equator, South Africa and Scotland, explore how urban initiatives are transforming local communities through holistic climate action and wellbeing practices. Linear economic systems - previously the global status quo - have been proven time and again to be ineffective at prioritizing wellbeing for all...especially when we compare them with circular models that emphasize restoration. Grassroots projects like Scotland's Love Letham and Johannesburg's Makers Valley, which focus on sustainable development, community engagement, and empowerment naturally emphasize the importance of inclusivity, indigenous values, and collective action in addressing socioeconomic and environmental challenges. Our expert guests in this episode demonstrate how in both the Global South and North, participatory decision-making and community-driven projects can tackle poverty, improve health, and enhance urban resilience by integrating climate and anti-poverty policies.
Image Credit: Photo by Jeswin Thomas @Unsplash
Featured guests:
Thobile Chittenden is Network Co-Lead at the Wellbeing Economy Alliance and the CEO of the Makers Valley Partnership in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Hollie Irvine is the Project Lead of Love Letham in Perth, Scotland - one of four Wellbeing Economy pilot city projects from the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll).
Links
Lessons in Wellbeing Economics: Engaging local communities to bring Academic Principles into Urban Practice - Episode 12, Season 3, Cities 1.5
Policy Design for a Wellbeing Economy - Lessons from Four City Pilots - The Journal of City Climate Policy & Economy, Volume 2 Issue 2, January 2024
Wellbeing Economy Alliance
Makers Valley
A New Story Unfolds - Poem by Thobile Chittenden
Love Letham Project - Perth, Scotland
Official child poverty statistics - Child Poverty Action Group (Scotland)
New report shows what Letham’s children need to thrive - Love Letham website

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website: https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Our executive producers are Calli Elipoulos and Peggy Whitfield.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music is by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

Cities 1.5 - What is the climate crisis doing to our bodies and brains?

Transcript

[Cities 1.5 main theme music] I'm David Millerfolde and you're listening to Cities 1.5, a podcast exploring how cities are leading global change through local climate action.

[urgent music] Eco-anxiety, climate stress, eco-rage, planetary depression – most of us working in the climate sector are familiar with these terms, and maybe even suffer from them, ourselves. Sometimes, the burden of what the science is telling us can weigh heavily on our shoulders. But, aside from these negativ