Pulse of Change (Lana Voracek & David Acuna)

Introducing Pulse of Change, a podcast where we explore the connection between climate change and health by sharing stories about taking action.

In our first-ever episode, Alexi Hu, a Master of Science student and environmental health researcher, shares his experience growing up in the Gobi Desert, where climate change has caused serious problems like drought and desertification. After witnessing the record-breaking heat dome in British Columbia, he jumped into climate activism, even taking part in a blockade. Along the way, he noticed a disconnect between climate research and activism, and met someone who inspired him to take a new path. In addition to his powerful story, Alexi will share what he's learned from researching the impact of extreme heat on health outcomes, and what inspires him to keep engaging in climate action.

To learn more about anything we talked about in this episode, check out our transcript with citations. 

You can also read about about the health impacts of extreme heat and how to prepare for them at the links below:

• BCCDC - Preparing for Heat Events
• Government of BC - Be prepared for extreme heat and drought
• Health Canada - Extreme heat events 

To learn more about the health impacts of wildfire smoke and how to prepare for them, check out these links:

• BCCDC - Wildfire Smoke
• HealthLinkBC - Wildfires and your health 
• Health Canada - Wildfire smoke, air quality, and your health 

In this week's episode, we hear from Raluca Radu, a Registered Nurse, Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia, and (at the time of recording) a Climate and Health Educator at Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Raluca reflects on how she unexpectedly discovered the health impacts of climate change during her graduate education, leading her to become an advocate for climate change content in nursing education. We will also interview her about her experience working to reduce the environmental footprint of the global humanitarian health care organization MSF, including how the impacts of climate change are unequally felt across the world. 

To learn more about anything we talked about in this episode, check out our transcript with citations.

You can also read about sustainable health care at the links below:

• CASCADES - Creating a Sustainable Canadian Health Care System in a Climate Crisis 
• BC GreenCare 
• Planetary health care: A framework for sustainable health systems (The Lancet Planetary Health) 

In this week's episode, we hear from Dr Paul Kershaw, the founder of the think and change tank, Generation Squeeze. Hard work isn't paying off for young people the way that it used to--compared to older generations, young people go to school for longer and work harder, only to receive lower pay, unaffordable housing, growing debt, and worsening climate change.  After learning this through his research, Paul could tell that public policies were at the root of the problem--which also meant they were a key solution. Paul shares his insights on how climate change fits into generational fairness, and the work he's been doing with Generation Squeeze to influence policy change across party lines.

To learn more about anything we talked about in this episode, check out our transcript with citations.

You can also learn more about policy solutions to climate change at the links below:

• Gen Squeeze - Climate solutions framework
• Ecofiscal Commission - 10 myths about carbon pricing in Canada
• IISD - How fossil fuels drive inflation and make life less affordable

To join the fight for generational fairness, check out these resources:

• Gen Squeeze website
• Gen Squeeze's non-partisan voter's guides - See how parties stack up against generational fairness and climate change  

In this week's episode, we hear from Judy Wu, a PhD student at Simon Fraser University and a researcher at CHART Lab. Judy shares her journey, which started with a passion for environmentalism and led her to study how climate change is impacting the mental health of young people. We have an open and honest conversation about how this critical health issue is affecting people (including us), and discuss some of the ways that we--and our society--can adapt to the challenge.

To learn more about anything we talked about in this episode, check out our transcript with citations.

In the show, we mentioned some mental health resources that we said we would link here. You can find them below:

• BPD Society of BC - Peer Support Groups 
• PaRx - A prescription for nature
• Climate Aware Therapist Directory - Climate Psychology Alliance of North America

Here are some other resources for addressing the mental health impacts of climate change:

• Mental Health and Climate Change Alliance - Resources for Climate Distress
• Climate & Mind - Groups and Organizations
• Exploring Climate Change and Mental Health Toolkit - Natania Abebe
• Addressing and Coping with Climate Grief Toolkit - Judy Wu 

In this week's episode, we hear from Janelle Lapointe, a climate justice and Indigenous rights organizer from the Stellat’en First Nation. Janelle shares her story with us, from fishing salmon from her local river to heading off to university with a plan to girlboss her way through the big city, and finally experiencing an undeniable call to stand up for her people and planet. Together, we'll unpack some of the root causes of climate change and unaffordability. 

To learn more about anything we talked about in this episode, check out our transcript with citations. 

You can also check out these highlighted resources from the episode:

• Learn whose land you’re on at Native-Land.ca 
• Check out the work of Common Horizon and the David Suzuki Foundation
• Learn more about Indigenous knowledge and colonialism at the Climate Atlas of Canada