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August 2025: planetary & personal health

Each month, we break down our topic into four weekly modules. Catch up on previous editions here.​

This week's module: LEARN

• ✅ CONNECT | Conversation prompts on the health of our ecosystem
• 🎯 LEARN | The public/planetary health paradox
• ACT | What you can do towards a resilient and healthy planet
• REFLECT | Art, poetry, and commitments

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Here's what we'll learn today Reader

Yesterday at Soapbox Seattle, we had one of our most hopeful Q&As ever. I was nervous to host it; the speakers were both healthcare experts, and during our prep call, I was afraid that it would be discouraging + lead to despair.

But it was the opposite! Yes, we learned a lot of horrible poo-poo stuff about climate change and health, but we also saw how such a HUUUGEE entrenched system like healthcare is making strides towards decarbonization, even with federal incentives stripped away.

Let's get into it!

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Your bite-sized action plan Reader

✅ LEARN about one of the following intersections of planetary, personal, and public health.

Here's the healthcare paradox.

Climate change, and the way we're living our modern-day lives, makes our health worse. Rising temperatures affect everything. The Earth has a fever. A few degrees may not sound like a lot, but think of the last time you were sick by a couple degrees!

Here are some examples; please take care while reading:

• Climate change endangers mothers and children (Article)​
  Extreme heat increases the risk of infant death. Heat waves also raise the odds of early birth. Women who conceive during the hottest months of the year are at higher risk of pregnancy complications. A billion children worldwide are at extremely high risk from the effects of climate change.
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• Consumerism, which drives emissions, also creates air pollution (Article)
  ​Did you know that online shopping is linked to air pollution? "Nitrogen dioxide levels near e-commerce warehouses are 20 percent higher than in other neighborhoods. It can even be measured from space."
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• Our mental health is also going down the ✨pooper✨ (Paper)​
  ​You've seen before in our Changeletter that 75% of us are scared af about the future. The paper linked by Susan Clayton and McKenna Parnes (who was our speaker yesterday!!) shows that it also threatens our social ties and impairs the quality of our relationships. :( dang

However...healthcare is a massive polluter. (Hiiiighly recommend this health care climate footprint report from Health Care Without Harm)

The more sick people get, the more healthcare systems need to be scaled up to address it, and hospitals (and the whole medical supply chain) are a huge source of carbon emissions.

So what happens when the thing that helps you get better is also the thing making you ill?

According to this report, if the global health care sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet. The emissions corresponding to the energy it takes for cooling itself is as much as powering 110 coal power plants for an entire year!

So what do we do?

Next week, we'll get into actions, but for now, ditch your gas stove (more on that next time), touch grass, and do some activism. Because, according to science (from the paper shared earlier on mental health), activism HELPS.

Hang out with friends you met at Soapbox, participate in mutual aid, be good, and be well.

With love until next week,

Nivi <333

Upcoming Soapbox events

• Every Tuesday in Seattle, we have our usual dinner party! Check out our Seattle calendar here.​
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• On Saturday August 16th in King County, WA, there are TWO festivals you can go to: CHOMP Fest and the Burien Solarpunk Festival!
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​Our entire events calendar for ALL locations + virtual can be found here.