Health, Climate & the Power of Systems Change, with Dr. Sally Uren

Welcome to Episode 5 of the Positive Tipping Points Special! A 7-episode special series on the road to COP30 in Belem, with guest host Liz Courtney.Systems don’t change neatly; they lurch, resist, and then tip. That turbulence can be terrifying or energising, and in this conversation we choose energy. With Dr Sally Uren of Forum for the Future, we trace a through-line from cleaning a polluted canal to steering global coalitions, showing how climate solutions and public health gains are two sides of the same coin. The energy transition is surging, regenerative agriculture is rewriting the goals of the food system, and health care is shifting from cure to prevention — fertile ground for positive tipping points if we design for co-benefits.Sally unpacks resilience with a kayak metaphor that keeps leadership grounded in agency. We look at how cleaner air, active transport, and heat-resilient cities slash emissions while reducing mortality and chronic disease. We confront equity head-on: women and children bear outsized risks from heat, water stress, and shifting vector-borne diseases, while undercounted heat deaths hide the true burden. The answer isn’t more band-aids; it’s structural policy reform, smarter incentives for adaptation, and private sector strategies that treat climate and health as the same brief.Collaboration is the engine. We examine why harmonising standards, as in Cotton 2040, unlocks scale; how systems evolve from startup to acceleration to stabilisation; and where leaders can pull real levers — financing, procurement, disclosure, and cross-sector coalitions. Along the way, Sally challenges outmoded leadership training and invites us to “compost” failing models so better ones can grow. If you want practical ways to align ethics and economics, to turn personal choices into system ripples, and to help your organisation multi-solve for climate, health, and equity, this episode is your map and paddle.Connect with us! Support the showYour Hosts:Dan LeveringtonLoreto GutierrezLiked this episode? Subscribe to our podcast to get the latest Sustainability insights every two weeks. And follow us on Linkedin and Instagram.Email us your ideas, feedback and interviewee suggestions at [email protected]