Hot summer, melting glaciers, floods or extinction of species – by now it seems clear to everyone that climate change is not happening anywhere, but right on your doorstep. What this means for our health and how climate change is related to health is what we talk about in an interview with Eckart von Hirschhausen, doctor book author and founder of the “Gesunde Erde – Gesunde Menschen” foundation.
This summer was either way too cold or so hot that you could only stand it in the shade. At Christmas, meanwhile, light rain, if at all, drizzles from the sky rather than snow and the news is peppered with reports about Fire disasters or Floods. Since the climate crisis has always seemed to take place far away, many people have never realized the urgency as it is now. Not least because of the events in the Ahr Valley, we notice that climate change is not only real, it is also direct in front of our noses instead of. And in the worst case scenario, climate change will cause people to lose their homes, as well as their income, their jobs or their lives.
Whether air pollution in large cities, forest dieback and the associated extinction of natural paradises – all of this also affects the Human health the end. Because only in an intact nature can humans survive in the long run. But what exactly does climate change have to do with one’s own health? And if that is related, what can you do? How it can work as an individual to take care of the earth and at the same time take care of your health, we discussed this with the doctor, book author and founder of the “Gesunde Erde – Gesunde Menschen” foundation Eckart von Hirschhausen to chat.
Mr. Hirschhausen, in the foreword to your new book “Mensch, Erde! We could have it so beautifully ”, you write, that there can only be healthy people on a healthy earth. What does climate change do to our health and how is it related?
The cover of the book reads, half jokingly: “Three crises for the price of two”. The big issues of our time are actually much more closely related than is often perceived. the Climate crisis is also a health crisis. And without the destruction of habitats, the extinction of species and the wildlife trade, we would not have a corona. We are much more vulnerable than we thought and we have to think about health globally. A virus doesn’t ask for a visa to cross national borders. Just as little as a C02 molecule in the atmosphere asks from which country it came. In our body everything comes together and intensifies: 8 million people die every year from air pollution, and a lungs that have to breathe dirt are also much more susceptible to corona. Conservation of nature and animal welfare is also health protection, if we have learned that from last year, at least it was good for something. This core idea is called internationally “one health“Or in German: Healthy Earth – Healthy People.
What would society have to do so that something can change or improve for the climate and, at the same time, something for our health?
A very good basic rule of medical practice is: first the diagnosis, then the therapy. If many people are still not clear about the really threatening situation we are in, they need a blunt description of what is already happening today. And what crises, conflicts and catastrophes we can expect if we do not act. Because it is in the nature of the tipping points that once exceeded they cannot be reversed with any money, no invention and no power in the world. A species that is extinct never returns. When the glaciers and ice masses on the polar caps have melted, sit down Chain reactions one that keeps it getting hotter and on and on.
Read also: Hot summer: phenomenon or future?
Do you have specific tips that each: r individual can follow in order to do something for the “health” of the earth?
The personal levers are less flying, less meat and less stuff to buy and throw away. But that is not enough. Make yourself smart, band together and up political changes urge, that is the most important thing. And everyone knows someone who can change something, large or small. And all of this is a gain in quality of life and Grandchildren suitability.
In your opinion, are there things that a world improver: can do in order to do something for your own health and for the environment at the same time?
There is a lot: cycling instead of a car and vegetables instead of meat, for example. As a doctor, I am interested in the health benefits of these measures. I would rather breathe in the fumes from 10 cyclists than from an SUV. And in a world where around 2 billion people are overweight and a billion malnourished, it should be better distribution give for the good of all, right? The idea of a “Planetary Health Diet” combines what is good for the body with what is good for the planet. And above all, that means less meat, less sugar and dairy products, more nuts, pulses and colorful vegetables. You cannot “prescribe” this to people, but “prescribe” it. Because it can prevent millions of heart attacks and strokes, practically all major diseases of civilization, if we ourselves move more and accumulate less excess weight. When we interrupt our disease-causing consumption patterns, it is not about deficiency or renunciation, but about the only sensible and long-term way to be and stay healthy.
In your book you talk to visionaries, thought leaders, activists and many other people who work for a better world. Are there role models, initiatives or even start-ups for you who are committed to “innovation in the context of sustainability and health”?
Yes, in my book I introduce a lot of people from all trades and generations. from Luisa Neubauer from “Fridays for Future” to the “old hands”: Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Sarah Wiener showed me her organic farm, Antje Boetius reported on the Polarstern expedition, heat researchers, farmers, forest farmers, nature conservationists, a lot of visionaries are coming Word. If you are curious, I recommend utopia.de – a great platform for current developments and practical tips. There are ideas and knowledge. And also examples that work. Often the only thing missing is the political will and the budget to tackle it. I’ve been on the for years German sustainability award, where great initiatives and companies are honored every time. There I also met the chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall, who opened my eyes with her simple question: “If we humans are the smartest species on this planet – why are we destroying our own homes?”
How should we (people and society) behave in the future so that we can still be saved?
It is not easy to be optimistic. But two points give me cause for hope: Firstly – we can still change something, and it is worth fighting for every ton of emissions avoided and for every tenth of a degree. What really matters is what we get off the ground in this decade. And: we are currently experiencing historical times. The Federal Constitutional Court has passed a sensational ruling that we must make the freedom of the next generations the guiding principle for today’s decisions, so it is clear that all parties must offer concrete implementation for this. The climate issue not only determined the European elections, it is central issue for the next government. The fact that my book, on the really difficult topic of climate change and health, has been at the top of the SPIEGEL bestseller list for months, shows me that many citizens want to know, have a say and help shape it, and maybe they are even there in my head already further than big politics.
What do you wish for a good and healthy future for earth and humanity?
That we have a future! I wish what my generation was allowed to enjoy in terms of light-heartedness, everyone who may come after us. And I wish that I can be there for another 30 good years – if I can. And if I should be asked in 2050, what did you actually do in 2021 so that we can still get the curve in the decisive years, I would like to be able to say: I have tried to find a language and images that mean something to people, that mean something move in them, and the Encourage change. Because: we could have it really nice here on earth. More beautiful than now.
Thank you for the interview!
Dr. Eckart von Hirschhausen (born 1967) studied medicine and science journalism in Berlin, London and Heidelberg. His specialty: conveying medical content in a humorous way and combining healthy laughter with lasting messages. He has been a comedian, author and presenter for over 20 years.
Since the hot summer of 20218, he has been committed to a medically and scientifically sound climate policy. Eckart von Hirschhausen is a member of “Scientists for Future” and a supporter of the “German Climate Change and Health Alliance” (KLUG).
In 2020 he founded the “Gesunde Erde – Gesunde Menschen” foundation to research the scientific basis and the close connection between climate protection and health protection, to sharpen public awareness of this, to design interdisciplinary collaborations to improve climate and health protection and to actively find solutions to contribute to the problems. You can find out more about Eckart von Hirschhausen at: www.hirschhausen.com and www.stiftung-geme.de
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