Introduction to Planetary Health
As the subtitle of Myers’ and Frumkin’s book on planetary health (see additional resources below) says, planetary health is “protecting nature to protect ourselves.”
The catch is that mostly we are protecting nature from us in order to protect ourselves. We are the direct cause of the environmental problems that are threatening us, and so we are cure the planet needs, that we need, in order for us to thrive and survive.
Planetary health is about the systems and processes in nature that impact our health, how we are altering them, and how we might use the information to lead healthier lives.
It is clear that our health is already impacted
All of us are impacted by our abuse of the environment. Here is an overview graphic that captures some of the complexity of just climate change and health, and not other sources of environmental degradation:
Source: www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/effects/default.htm
It is not just the effects of climate change that impact human health, but also pollution, soil degradation, water overuse and abuse, and other ecological imbalances. These result in food/nutrition insecurity, social and economic insecurity, extreme weather events (floods and droughts), loss of pollinators (due not only to climate change but toxins, loss of habitat, and other factors), damage by invasive species, and changes in infectious disease vector ecology (due not only to climate change but habitat loss, invasive species and other factors).
We cannot survive, thrive and remain healthy indefinitely against this onslaught. Planetary health looks deeply at these complex interactions and how they play out around the world.
As usual, these changes have outsized effects on the most vulnerable (ironically those who often profited less from the carbon economy, the economic benefits of loss of habitat and pollution): the elderly, the very young, the malnourished, the poor, those with less access to medical care, groups with less voice (often people of color) in what industries and resources are in their communities (not only local polluters, but city heat islands and rural areas with less access to services), both in the United States and globally.
We need sustainability, resilience and the ability to adapt
Sustainability is the ability to use resources in a way that doesn’t deplete them for future use.
Resilience is the ability to roll with the punches, to respond to rapid change.
Adaptation is more long-term, fundamental changes designed to increase sustainability and resilience.
Planetary health is not just the responsibility of professionals
Planetary health is a relatively new field, being first formulated around 2010, but its roots go farther back in public health and ecology. While it often is geared to those working in public health and policymakers, clinicians are on the front lines of these issues.
In fact, we ALL are on the front lines of planetary health.
Additional Resources
Books:
Global Climate Change and Human Health. Jay Lemery, Kim Knowlton, Cecilia Sorensen, 2021. A multi-authored textbook by authorities on the subject.
Planetary Health, protecting nature to protect ourselves. Ed. Samuel Myers and Howard Frumkin. Island Press, 2020.
Planetary Health, safeguarding human health and the environment in the Anthropecene. Andy Haines, Howard Frumkin. Cambridge University Press, 2021.
Planetary Health, human health in an era of environmental change. Jennifer Cole. A shorter book than the others on planetary health, in part from material from a 2018 report of the Rockefeller Foundation Economic Council on Planetary Health, Oxford Martin School, Oxford, 2022.
Articles and editorials:
Effort to Reframe Climate Change as a Health Crisis Gains Steam. Winston Choi-Schagrin Nov. 4, 2021 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/04/climate/public-health-climate-change.html A brief look at the issue and trends.
The Lancet Countdown puts out a yearly report in the fall on health and climate change. The 2022 report came out October 26 2022. It has about 300 contributors, is truly global and comprehensive. There are online key findings and visual summary sections.
Health Professionals and the Climate Crisis: Trusted Voices, Essential Roles Commentary. Edward Maibach, Howard Frumkin, Samantha Ahdoot
First published: 03 March 2021 | https://doi.org/10.1002/wmh3.421. A statement by experts in the field of planetary health.
New England Journal of Medicine climate change articles: https://www.nejm.org/climate-change. A great resource. Powerful editorials, helpful articles.
Call For Emergency Action to Limit Global Temperature Increases, Restore Biodiversity, and Protect Health. Lukoye Atwole et al N Engl J Med 2021; 385:1134-1137. A powerful editorial, signed by the editors of some 200 global medical journals. “As health professionals, we must do all we can to aid the transition to a sustainable, fairer, resilient, and healthier world. Alongside acting to reduce the harm from the environmental crisis, we should proactively contribute to global prevention of further damage and to action on the root causes of the crisis.”
Groups and Websites related to planetary health:
The Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education: “Pioneering climate and health education for health professionals.” I am a member, having joined after taking their two-day climate bootcamp on Zoom in June 2022 (it was great). A treasure trove of useful information and presentations.
The Medical Society Consortium on Climate Change and Health has as its members many medical specialty societies. From their website: “The mission of the Consortium is to mobilize and amplify the voices of U.S. doctors, in partnership with public health experts and fellow health professionals, to successfully advocate for equitable climate solutions that protect and promote the health of all people.” They have a wonderful 30 page text, “The Health Promise of Climate Solutions” that you can download. At the end of it they say: “The Consortium’s efforts to organize the medical and health community to influence critical policies at every level (county, city, state, regional and national) are ramping up. We now have the tools in place to help health professionals — individually and collectively — advocate with the public and policymakers for policies aligned with these promises to stabilize the climate and improve health equity.”
No Harm: “the global movement for environmentally responsible health care.” Something healthcare professionals could have a voice in.
The Planetary Health Alliance: “A consortium of over 300 universities, non-governmental institutions, research institutes, and government entities from over 60 countries… addressing the impacts of global environmental change on human health and well-being.” It is “supported by a Secretariate based at the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health…” They have a wealth of educational materials and resources. For example, there is a section on how to build a course with examples of syllabi from two courses, planetary health case studies, and an extensive research bibliography. They also have introductory videos of varying length. I watched some and was impressed.