Q&A with Barbara Sattler: Championing the fight against climate change as a health crisis

Nurse Barbara Sattler pioneers a crucial shift in health care, addressing climate change as an urgent medical crisis that demands innovative solutions.

Liza Gross reports for Inside Climate News.

In short:

Sattler emphasizes the critical need for health professionals to understand and communicate the health impacts of climate change effectively.
She uses simple analogies to explain complex issues, like comparing the earth's warming to the rapid heating of a car in the sun, to make the science accessible.
Sattler advocates for community resilience and stresses the importance of preparing health professionals to address the health risks associated with a changing climate.

Key quote:

“Go up just a couple of degrees, we start to feel crappy. One or two more degrees after that we start to have physiological changes. If we stay at 104 for a while, we’re in real trouble.”

— Dr. Barbara Sattler, founding member of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments

Why this matters:

Understanding the intersection of climate change and health is essential for mitigating its impacts on our well-being. Sattler's work illuminates how health professionals can play a pivotal role in this effort, signaling the need for a broader societal shift toward sustainability and resilience in the face of ongoing environmental challenges.

insideclimatenews.org

Credit: Hubert Neufeld/Unsplash

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