HTML PLAIN TEXT COPY <h1>Watch: This doctor treats climate change like the public health menace it is</h1> <p> <em>"This story was originally published by <a href="https://grist.org" title="Grist">Grist</a>. Sign up for Grist's <a href="https://go.grist.org/signup/weekly/partner?utm_campaign=republish-content&utm_medium=syndication&utm_source=partner" title="Weekly newsletter">weekly newsletter here</a>."</em> </p> <p class="has-drop-cap">Climate change is a public health crisis. And like any health crisis that takes place in an unjust society (case in point: COVID), it has unequal impacts — disproportionately harming low-income communities of color. </p> <p>Gaurab Basu, a primary care physician and co-director of the <a href="https://www.healthequity.challiance.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Center for Health Equity Education & Advocacy</a>, witnessed this firsthand. He came to realize that protecting his patients meant more than just treating their asthma or diabetes. He had to zoom out. After being moved by the 2018 <a href="https://grist.org/article/scientists-calmly-explain-that-civilization-is-at-stake-if-we-dont-act-now/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report</a>, Basu began advocating for better policies and better education for medical professionals to treat climate change like the public health menace it is. As he says, “In order for us to take care of each other, we have to take care of our planet.” </p> <p>This year’s <a href="https://grist.org/grist-50/2021" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grist 50</a> features five short documentaries on innovators like Basu: emerging leaders — we call them <a href="https://grist.org/fix/fixers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fixers</a> — who are tackling climate and justice from every imaginable angle. Check out this video to learn more about Basu and his work. </p> <p><em>[Previous video: </em><a href="https://grist.org/fix/amanda-lagrange-2021-grist-50-video/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>How one entrepreneur turns e-waste into jobs for the formerly incarcerated</em></a><em>]</em></p> <hr class="wp-block-separator" /> <p><em>Discover more Grist 50 honorees working toward a more sustainable, equitable world:</em></p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li><span style="text-decoration: underline"><em><a href="https://grist.org/fix/social-media-fixers-follow-grist-50/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Social media gurus who will uplift your feed</a></em></span></li><li><span style="text-decoration: underline"><em><a href="https://grist.org/fix/grist-50-meet-five-fixers-who-put-food-on-your-table/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Innovators changing the way we think about food</a></em></span></li><li><span style="text-decoration: underline"><em><a href="https://grist.org/fix/grist-50-artist-fixers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Artists producing provocative, justice-centering work </a></em></span></li><li><em>Explore the full </em><a href="https://grist.org/grist-50/2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><em>2021 Grist 50 list</em></span></a><em><span style="text-decoration: underline"> </span>to discover more Fixers making a better future happen today</em></li></ul> <p>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://grist.org/">Grist</a> at <a href="https://grist.org/fix/science/doctor-gaurab-basu-grist-50-climate-change-public-health-crisis-video/">https://grist.org/fix/science/doctor-gaurab-basu-grist-50-climate-change-public-health-crisis-video/</a>.</p> <link href="https://grist.org/fix/science/doctor-gaurab-basu-grist-50-climate-change-public-health-crisis-video/" rel="canonical"/> <p>Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Learn more at <a href="https://grist.org/">Grist.org</a></p> <script id="grist-syndication-pixel" async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=" data-source="repub" data-canonical="https://grist.org/fix/science/doctor-gaurab-basu-grist-50-climate-change-public-health-crisis-video/" data-title="Watch: This doctor treats climate change like the public health menace it is" crossorigin="anonymous"/>