Dr Rizsa Albarracin grew up in abject poverty in a remote jungle in the Philippines. At age 12, she left her village on her own to pursue an education in the hope of breaking the poverty cycle and seeing the world.

Fast forward a decade or more, a medical science degree, a PhD in Vision Neuroscience, world travel and a new-found passion for climate change, and Rizsa landed a job with Queensland Health’s Office of Hospital Sustainability as lead for climate risk and adaptation.

 On the back of the Senate’s ‘Climate Change and Healthcare’ meeting, we speak with Rizsa about Queensland Health’s actions to reduce emissions and its impact on the climate, and how she is giving back to her village in the Philippines.