Views from a Physician: Bridging Clean Energy and Public Health in Underserved Communities

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got involved in climate action?

For me, it really was personal. I grew up in an area where I felt there was so much work to be done around health, and I wanted to see how I could contribute to making this a better place. I decided to go into medicine and realized just how much the environment was impacting people’s health. Later when I earned a master’s degree in urban planning, that tie between people’s health and the environment was further solidified. If I wanted to be the best doctor I could be, I needed to be engaged in that area.

Let’s talk specifically about the burning of fossil fuels. What trends, both in the short- and long-term, have you seen regarding the health effects of air pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels?

One of the areas where I worked was in Wilmington, California, which is right next to both a refinery and a huge freeway. This is where I saw a lot of health impacts firsthand. I started to see in the emergency rooms that people were developing asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations, and another disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Looking at it now, idiopathic meant we didn’t know what caused it. But when we look deeper, we see people living next to these huge industries and all these cars, we can see a connection. We see the short-term effects from the nosebleeds and asthma exacerbations, but also chronic long-term issues.

You’re active in several different organizations that are making a difference in Orange County communities. Tell us more about some of these organizations that are on the front lines of helping people.

One is Latino Health Access, where I started as a volunteer when I was 18, and now I’m a board member. Two others are Physicians for Social Responsibility and Climate Resolve. When it comes to climate justice, those are the three organizations that I feel do innovative work in helping to make sure that folks — from the individual to the elected decision-makers — are being informed on the full scope of the health impact of fossil fuels. And that takes time, and that takes organizing individuals and resources.

One of the largest areas emitting fossil fuels is transportation. Getting back to the fact that people living along freeways have higher exposure to air pollution coming from vehicles, are there things that you’re doing and advocating for?

Yes, Complete Streets was this idea at Latino Health Access that we should be able to live, work, and play in the areas where we’re at. When we envision that idea, we start asking questions such as what does transit-oriented development look like? What does it mean to be able to walk safely down your street? What does it mean when it’s just too hot to walk? Can we make sure that folks have access to an economic opportunity that is not two or three hours away? We want to make sure that people have what I call utilitarian exercise, just being able to do physical exercise near their home and be outdoors without having asthma exacerbations.

This was the idea of Complete Streets and what they first brought into the Santa Ana community. And that was a huge feat, being able to say as a city that what we care about is health. That’s a direction that a lot of communities should be going towards.

What can individuals do to transform their environment and create positive changes for the health of their communities?

One of the things I am really passionate about is trying to make sure that people understand gas stoves are emitting pollutants inside our own homes. If you have the ability to switch it out to an electric stove, do it.

Sometimes people don’t know that a small change makes a significant difference. And that’s the same thing with Orange County Power Authority. Making a little bit of a change in terms of how much renewable energy you’re purchasing makes a big difference overall.

I agree. And I think if we could integrate the physicians, the health aspect to this and make that all connected, I think there’s going to be even more demand to make those changes. Not only is it saving me here in my bank account, but now I’m also improving my health. As an Orange County kid, I really feel like this is something that we need to spread, and the work that OCPA is doing is critical to make that transition.

Climate Action is Community Action

Every small action counts in making our world more sustainable. Climate action leaders just like Dr. Gonzalez are empowering people to make a difference for their health and their environment. To learn more about how you can make small changes to impact a brighter future, tune in to our Sustainably Speaking video series.