Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast The Health Emergency Hiding in Rising Seas
Apr 9, 2026
Sandro Demaio, medical doctor and WHO director working on health responses to climate threats. Anne Poelina, First Nations leader using Indigenous knowledge to track environmental change. Ofa Kaisamy, Pacific adviser with lived experience of sea-level impacts. They discuss how rising seas already harm health, cultural loss and food security, threats to hospitals and freshwater, and community-led resilience and measurement.
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Sea Level Rise Is A Present Health Threat
- Sea level rise is already accelerating and is a present health threat, not just a distant slow-onset problem.
- Christiana notes 20 cm rise since early 20th century and 5.9 mm in 2024, nearly double the previous decade's rate, stressing billions by 2100.
Saltwater Intrusion Undermines Fresh Water And Medicines
- Saltwater intrusion from rising seas damages freshwater and agriculture, directly harming health and food security.
- Christiana highlights freshwater wells salinizing and medicinal plants in the Pacific failing to grow, removing local health resources.
Declare Sea Level Rise A Public Health Emergency
- Treat sea level rise as a public health emergency and prioritize it in global forums like COP33.
- Sandro explains WHO convened The Lancet Commission after Pacific ministers requested urgent action and aims to launch findings at COP33.