Lu Hui: A doctor's climate action| Carbon Road Pioneer
Lu Hui is a doctor in a public hospital, but spends most of his spare time in a nursing home. Investigate the impact of climate change on the elderly, conduct climate change and health lectures, use situational drama to illustrate how to prevent high temperature heatstroke, explain the steps of cardiopulmonary resuscitation to the elderly and their caregivers... In the process of helping the elderly improve their climate adaptability, he was very busy and had a sense of accomplishment.
Why would a doctor pay attention to and carry out climate response actions?
Elderly groups face climate adaptation problems
"I was particularly impressed. I went to Beijing on a business trip and found that in particularly hot weather, young people could go to play ball, but many elderly people would suffer from heatstroke while staying indoors."
"When the temperature suddenly rises or drops, the frequency of elderly people suffering from respiratory diseases, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and rheumatic diseases coming to the hospital will increase."
Lu Hui's lover is a worker in the field of environmental protection. Under her influence, Dr. Lu joined Friends of Nature's "Exquisite Project" and began to observe issues from the perspective of climate. During his work, he found that the health of the elderly is more vulnerable to climate change.
In February 2022, the Second Working Group Report of the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6)"Climate Change 2022 Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability" released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) pointed out that climate change is sensitive to climate-sensitive infectious diseases and threats to chronic non-infectious diseases, as well as mental and mental health, are increasing and show the risks of compound exposures and chain events, and the risks are expected to further intensify with global warming in the future. Among them, outdoor workers, pregnant women, newborns, and the elderly are vulnerable groups and are particularly affected by climate change.
This report attracted Lu Hui's attention.
In March 2022, with the help of "Linglong Partners", he decided to carry out a plan to improve the climate adaptability of the elderly.
Before launching the plan, Lu Hui's team first conducted research and interviews. They went deep into township communities, nursing homes, etc. to understand how the health status of the elderly is affected by climate change.
During the investigation and interviews, Lu Hui found that the medicines taken by elderly people with underlying diseases will affect their ability to regulate temperature; elderly people suffering from coronary heart disease and stroke will have strong discomfort when the temperature difference is particularly large; elderly people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis will have their symptoms significantly aggravated when they are suddenly cold and hot, and typhoons and rain arrive; continuous rainy weather is more likely to cause emotional illness in the elderly.
Through previous interviews and research, Lu Hui and his partners found that the problem of climate change adaptation among the elderly is a real problem, and action can be taken to address this issue and carry out science popularization.
Carry out climate adaptability improvement plans
"Every family has elderly people, and we will gradually become elderly people. Now that we assist the elderly, it is equivalent to doing this for ourselves." Lu Hui introduced his original intention of doing this.
When they first went to the nursing home, they were not very popular, and the person in charge of the nursing home would even ask if they were here to do sales.
"If you want to 'break the circle' to do science popularization, if you don't find the right entry point, you will find it too difficult! Tell people who don't care too much about environmental protection about climate change, they may not listen at all!" Lu Hui sighed. They had encountered several obstacles in the process of popularizing science and realized that the issue of climate was too high for the general public.
They changed their thinking and started from the perspective of protecting health.
They further refined the content of popular science, first talking about climate adaptation in high temperature weather. How to prevent heatstroke in hot heat waves? When the weather changes in summer, how to prevent chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and high blood pressure? Some people vomit because of heatstroke. How do they turn over and pat their back? How do they suck phlegm? How to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation if cardiac arrest occurs after the weather is hot?
They continue to innovate popular science forms. Promote and educate in a colloquial manner, enhance communication and interaction, produce situational dramas, introduce nature education, and carry out classified teaching...
In the process of talking about disease prevention, Lu Hui's team will trace back the reasons for the frequent occurrence of extreme weather and guide the elderly to think deeply about the relationship between man and nature from the surface to the bottom.
"They are really shocked by the current extreme weather. In hot and heatwave weather like 2022, everyone can't leave the house, and their health may be affected. Let them know that this extreme weather is not accidental. After the climate warms up due to human carbon emissions, this extreme weather may become more and more frequent in the future. They have this perception themselves, and only by connecting this perception with cognition will they realize that these are the 'fruits' caused by us ourselves. We have to bear this 'fruit' now, and we can only take some actions." Lu Hui introduced.
During this process, Lu Hui and the volunteers combined the questions collected during the science popularization process to carefully compile a "Health Protection Manual for the Elderly in High Temperature and Heat Wave Weather" suitable for the elderly to read, and shared it with the elderly in various places. In the next step, they plan to gradually develop several series of diseases related to the elderly, protection manuals for extreme weather such as cold waves, typhoons and heavy rains, and protection manuals for other vulnerable groups.
Through their science popularization, the elderly have learned about the causes and dangers of climate change, and their attention to climate change has increased significantly. They will take the initiative to protect the environment and learn to protect themselves in extreme weather.
From one person to a group of people
"I felt from the beginning that what I was doing was very small and that there might not be much ripples. But I think as long as you start taking action, you will definitely find a group of like-minded people around you. Maybe not many at the beginning, but as long as you persist in doing it, you will feel that you are not doing it alone. One thing, but the strength to walk with you!" Lu Hui said proudly.
Lu Hui's team has some partners who are engaged in nature education. By participating in climate actions, they have begun to learn to conduct insect observation from a climate perspective. For example, we should pay attention to what insects might have been in the climate of previous years. Now that the temperature is getting hotter, what types of insects have decreased.
Some workers in the media field will actively search for and understand climate change issues while participating in climate activities. When selecting materials and reporting, they will also tend to the field of environmental protection and consciously engage in environmental communication.
There are also volunteers working in the teaching profession and will talk about climate change mitigation and adaptation in the second classroom; some teachers in the Youth Palace will connect climate issues with board games to entertain and educate them, and provide popular science for children.
They will also bring their own children to participate in activities. Vigorous children bring vitality to the elderly group, and the seeds of environmental protection are quietly sown in their hearts.
"So I think our partners still understand by analogy. After they gain a climate perspective through participating in activities, they will carry out climate actions based on their respective professional characteristics and spread environmental protection knowledge. In addition to my own changes, I have also led many friends around me to change. I feel very fulfilling and feel that I have 'instigated' them."Speaking of "instigating rebellion", Lu Hui smiled happily.
Lu Hui has many expectations for the future: "I think propaganda is really important! The effect of my personal efforts in doing this is limited. I hope everyone can give full play to the advantages of their respective industries and use the resources at hand to drive more people to participate in this issue!"
