Welcome to Public Health On Call, a podcast from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,

where we bring evidence, experience, and perspective to make sense of today's leading health challenges.

If you have questions or ideas for us, please send an email to public health question at jhhhu.edu.

That's public health question at jhhu.edu for future podcast episodes.

Hi, I'm Lindsay Smith-Rogers, producer Public Health On Call.

Today, guest host Shelley Hearn, director of Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy,

speaks with former EPA leader and inaugural White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy

about how climate change is one of the biggest public health crises of our time and how

important it is to acknowledge not only that every individual will

face its direct impacts, but would also benefit significantly from actions to address climate

change. Let's listen. Gina McCarthy, I am so happy to be talking with you. If there was going to be

a Hall of Fame for the champions on who's

been protecting our climate, who's been protecting our health, you're my first nomination.

I can't thank you enough for spending a little time with us. Well, it's great to be here with

you, Shelley, and I think you just mean I'm old. That's about all in a lot of it.

And now, no, you are one wise woman, and that's why we're tapping you.

Look, public health has never been more challenged.

It's not just the pandemic.

We are fighting on so many fronts with opioid misuse, gun violence, obesity,

of a long track record and tobacco control that just continues with many, many issues. And now our leading scientific journal, The Lancet's coming

out and has recognized that climate is one of the biggest public health crisis of our time. So I'm turning to you as someone

who has long been in the environmental field and a public health champion. Can you give us a little

...