Your Planet, Your Health

Ralph Levinson & Luc Lewitanski•www.planetaryhealthforbusypeople.com

"Your Planet, Your Health" strives to summarise the science behind earth's climate and our existence on it – Our aims are to contextualise the history of discourses and ideas about the environment and to debunk misinformation – We share positive stories, and explore the knowledge and tools that we can use to be good earthlings. This podcast on planetary health is hosted by Ralph Levinson, MD Health Sciences Professor (emeritus) School of Medicine, UCLA, and Luc Lewitanski, a journalist covering technology, politics and power. Planetary health is about how the environment affects us and the people and the beauty in the world we love. Read more at https://www.planetaryhealthforbusypeople.com/

Last refreshed: July 28th, 2025 at 11:00 AM ⓘ

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Episodes

The Lawn Con: Manufactured Conformity

In this episode, Ralph and Luc unpack how Americans got so obsessed with maintaining square green carpets on their front yards. We dive into the history to trace back the origins and dissemination of this artificial aesthetic. We also look into solutions, ranging from bans on gas leaf blowers to cash schemes to encourage people to quit their lawn. We read a poem about the lunacy of leaf blowers, and highlight ways in which manicured suburban imported lawn grass is a synecdoche for colonialism. Y...

Jun 03, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 7

How Diplomacy Closed The Ozone Hole

In this episode, Ralph and Luc spotlight an environmental success story: the Montreal Protocol's role in healing the ozone layer. We draw comparisons to the pitfalls of the IPCC's COP process and try to derive a diplomatic blueprint for climate policy. We look into the science of how ozone and chlorine works in the stratosphere, the history of the activist scientists (Sherwood Roland and Mario Molina) who first sounded the alarm about CFC's destruction of the ozone layer, and the work of technoc...

Apr 14, 2024•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 6

Talking Climate with Conservatives

In this episode, Ralph and Luc chat with Michael Jefferies, Regional Conservative Outreach Coordinator for the Citizens' Climate Lobby. Together, we get out of our filter bubbles and find some common ground. We discuss Michael's faith-based journey on climate issues, bipartisan proposals on issues ranging from a carbon tax ("Carbon Fees and Dividends") and import tariffs, along with strategies to communicate about the environment to conservatives. We also listen to excerpts from former Senator B...

Feb 12, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 5

Gaslighting (Big Oil Knew)

In this episode, Ralph and Luc spotlight what the oil companies knew about CO2’s impact on the climate, and how they lied to you to sustain their fossilized business model – even if it risks drilling us into oblivion… This argument will soon be heard in court as part of a series of lawsuits against Big Oil. We start by looking into the history of scholarship on this issue, dating back to the 19th Century. We highlight the record of what the oil companies such as Exxon and the American Petroleum ...

Nov 14, 2023•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 4

Rainforest Restitution

In this episode, Ralph and Luc venture into the thorny discussions of what to do about the rainforest’s impact on the globe. In the aftermath of Lula's conference in Belem, Brazil, in August 2023, we spotlight some good news: great strides are being made against deforestation, and South American leaders are keen to protect the Amazonian rainforest. We also unpack criticisms and highlight pragmatic perspectives from Colombia and Ecuador, such as debt for nature swaps. Sources: • We sample a quote...

Aug 29, 2023•47 min•Ep. 3

Save the Earth? (ft. George Carlin)

In this episode, Ralph and Luc listen to a stand-up routine by comedian George Carlin about environmentalists. We engage with Carlin’s pontifications and his ingenious framing by providing context from a scientific perspective. We also gesture at disarming some of his cynicism while steering clear of fully explaining away what made his take comedic in the first place. This episode contains 4 brief excerpts from George Carlin's "Jammin' in New York" special. Erratum: we said microplastics were fo...

Apr 19, 2023•22 min•Ep. 2

Greenwashing

On this inaugural episode, Ralph and Luc briefly describe the practice of greenwashing, with examples ranging from: BP's popularisation of the carbon footprint, to the labels on water bottles, to Volkswagen evading emissions tests, and the practice of carbon offsets…

Mar 16, 2023•24 min•Ep. 1

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