Extreme Weather Explained: El Niño, Climate Change, and the Science Behind the Headlines

Extreme Weather Explained: El Niño, Climate Change, and the Science Behind the Headlines

Welcome to our 2026 summer series, "Extreme Weather Explained." To kick things off, host Dr. Lisa Patel sits down with Shel Winkley, the Senior Engagement Specialist and Meteorologist at Climate Central. Shel breaks down what a "super" El Niño could bring, the ways climate change is reshaping extreme events, and how health professionals can help people cut through the noise to understand these complex realities. Mentioned in this episode: Climate Central: https://www.climatecentral.org/ [https://www.climatecentral.org/] Billion Dollar Disasters Database: https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-services/billion-dollar-disasters [https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-services/billion-dollar-disasters] Join or support the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/ [https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/] Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.

Cooling Our Communities: A Policy Playbook for Extreme Heat

Extreme heat is already the deadliest weather-related hazard in this country. The good news is that this is preventable. Saving lives starts with preparing before heat hits while laying the foundation for more resilient communities. Our guest is Grace Wickerson, senior manager of climate and health at the Federation of American Scientists. In this special Heat Safety Week episode, we talk about how heat resilience efforts are evolving, promising solutions emerging across the country, and a new state and local heat policy agenda that's in the works. Federation of American Scientists: https://fas.org/ [https://fas.org/] State and Local Heat Policy Agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15gJpL7D4OVP8tWAuTNpY6JC6MHPPFVXIKzxffSuxnbo/edit?usp=sharing [https://docs.google.com/document/d/15gJpL7D4OVP8tWAuTNpY6JC6MHPPFVXIKzxffSuxnbo/edit?usp=sharing] Support the State and Local Heat Policy Agenda: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPmAHymTNfQ2hrgIHwX9ccTXgzopsGtYXYDETBTJj773m_RA/viewform [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPmAHymTNfQ2hrgIHwX9ccTXgzopsGtYXYDETBTJj773m_RA/viewform] Join or support the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/ [https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/] Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.

Who Profits and Who Pays: The Fight for Climate Accountability

From Big Tobacco to the gun industry, we know what happens when powerful industries avoid responsibility: Communities pay the price with their health and their lives. Now, a similar effort is underway. The fossil fuel industry is currently working to secure immunity from laws and lawsuits that could hold them liable for fueling the climate crisis, and running a campaign of denial, disinformation, and deception. In this episode, Iyla Shornstein, political Director at the Center for Climate Integrity, shares what a push for immunity could mean, where we've seen this playbook before, and how health professionals can respond. Center for Climate Integrity: https://climateintegrity.org/ [https://climateintegrity.org/] Join or support our movement here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/ [https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/] Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.

Storytelling for Systems Change: Turning Purpose Into Action

At the 2026 Our Planet, Our Health Convention, three incredible health professionals courageously told the story of how and why they became the climate advocates they are today. You can now hear their stories in this special epsiode. Our storytellers are Nisha Sridhar, a fourth-year medical student; Wendy Bernstein, a senior community psychiatrist at the Wellness Equity Alliance; and Sheetal Khedkar Rao, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago. When health professionals share our stories, we help people remember our words, find their purpose, and boldly envision a healthier future. We hope this episode is the dose of inspiration you need to share your own. Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.

What a Beautiful Future Can Look Like: Three Physicians at the Wheel of Change

Our annual conventions bring health professionals and advocates from around the country together to learn and innovate. This year, three participants agreed to visit our new podcast studio to share what they're up to, their passion and commitment, their projects at home, and their particular approach to climate health. Dr. Amanda d'Almeida (California) is a newly minted family physician with a focus on community health and education. Dr. Keisha Reneé Callins (Georgia) is an OB/GYN with a lens of system change at both clinical and legislative levels. Dr. John Balbus (Maryland) is a long-time leader in climate health policy who points out all the ways policy breakthroughs are persisting, and the diverse pathways we can take. These are their stories. Referenced in this episode: Medicine Explained: https://www.medicineexplained.org/social [https://www.medicineexplained.org/social] the NUANCE // a community health podcast: https://www.medicineexplained.org/podcast [https://www.medicineexplained.org/podcast] The Climate & Health Equity Fellowship: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/climate-and-health-equity-fellowship-chef/ [https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/climate-and-health-equity-fellowship-chef/] Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.