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HWN Suggests

Why personal and planetary health are so inextricably linked

We all know that spending time outside is good for us – not only for our physical health, through hobbies like walking, jogging and gardening, but for our mental health. Spending time in nature can help boost our mood and lower stress levels, so much so that even just two hours a week is associated with higher reported levels of wellbeing. But in our chronically online and fast-paced world, how many of us are actually getting outside and touching some grass?

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Featured

  People and planet: How human and planetary health are deeply connected

The health of people and the planet are inextricably intertwined, with time spent in nature positively improving our lives and inspiring us to help keep Earth healthy.

 Planetary Health is Human Health. We Must Protect Both.

Every year— and sometimes every day—we see signs that our environment is changing. Record heat waves, historic droughts, collapsing fisheries, and the disappearance of arable farmland.Taken together, the effects add up to a worrisome future for life on Earth, one that’s more expensive, more extreme, and less healthy for human life. Planetary health problems have already created a human health crisis, and the risks are acute. We’re already seeing profound disruptions to global health systems, according to The Lancet’s 2021 Countdown report on health and climate change, and the World Health Organization projects the planet’s condition will result in 250,000 additional deaths each year due to malnutrition, heat stress, and disease outbreaks.

Articles of Interest

What is Planetary Health?

Planetary Health is a solutions-oriented, transdisciplinary field and social movement focused on analyzing and addressing the impacts of human disruptions to Earth’s natural systems on human health and all life on Earth.

Almost everyone in the world breathes unhealthy air

Nearly 99 percent of the population breathes in a hazardous amount of particulate matter.

As the planet warms, tropical plants and animals are moving northward

New research looks at the northward trek of a variety of tropical species in North America.

First Annual Planetary Health Check Flashes Warning Signals

A scientific assessment seeking to evaluate the planet’s health on nine indicators, or “boundaries,” has found it is already operating outside the “safe” zone in six of nine categories. Most of these indicators are moving in the wrong direction. The report, released during Climate Week NYC, is the first in a planned series of health check-ups, not unlike an annual physical exam for the planet. It assesses the latest scientific research on nine boundaries including climate change, ocean acidification, and land system change. Professor Johan Rockström, the renowned climate res

GeoMedicine - OK, Maybe We Should Move!

GeoMedicine will probably serve as a catalyst for future human migration from one part of the globe to another in the quest for minimizing personal health risks. And, it may be sooner than you think!

Healthy Planet, Healthy People. How Slowing Climate Change Saves Lives

Unsurprisingly, a better diet—with an emphasis on increased consumption of fruits, vegetables and legumes and a decrease in red meat and processed food—is good for both human and planetary health. Industrial meat and dairy production alone accounts for 14.5% of global carbon emissions, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Even a small decrease in global meat consumption could have big pay-outs for climate, and health.

Human health and the health of Planet Earth go together

Embracing the planetary health paradigm within the field of health sciences can catalyze transformative changes essential for cultivating a sustainable and equitable future.

More veg, less meat: the latest global update on a diet that’s good for people and the planet

As we face the twin challenges of climate change and rising rates of diet-related disease, I argue the planetary health diet offers a recipe for a healthier, more sustainable future. It’s not about eliminating entire food groups or enforcing a one-size-fits-all approach. Rather, it’s about making thoughtful, evidence-based choices that nourish both people and the planet.

Planetary and human health - one coin, two sides

Healthier diets have the potential to reduce not only rates of NCDs and undernutrition, but also our climate emissions - outlining specific examples for a way forward. Finally, we reminded the global scientific community that these risks to both human and planetary health are issues we, as humanity, have created and therefore can and must solve.

Planetary health impacts human health

The need for bold, multi-sector collaboration to protect our planet and health is clear. Here’s how the healthcare sector can contribute.

Resolutions for a New Year and a Healthier Planet

The New Year is just around the corner and that means one thing…resolutions! If you’re like most people, you probably can’t remember what your resolutions were last year. (Don’t worry, we can’t remember ours either.)

The Ocean Is Now Too Acidic to Be Considered Healthy, Planetary Scientist Says

Johan Rockström says tropical coral reefs and Arctic marine life are at risk—the fallout could threaten businesses and devastate the economy.

Thinking of having a baby as the planet collapses? First, ask yourself 5 big ethical questions

People who want to have children are faced with a dilemma. Creating a child who will be responsible for high emissions over their lifetime requires others to stay in poverty (if the planet is to operate within its physical limits). This, it can easily be argued, furthers injustice and inequality. But many of us want to have children – doing so can be one of the most meaningful things we do with our life. What should we do? Ethics can provide an answer. It shows there is a moral obligation to consider the effects of child-bearing without obliging people to not have children as a result.

This Earth Day, the Planet’s Health is Your Health

We are now living in a highly connected world. Human health threats anywhere can have impacts everywhere. However, we can only be as healthy as the global ecosystem in which we live and on which we depend. This is the main message of Planetary Health—an evolving discipline of enormous scope, where human health is inseparable from the state of Earth systems.

Urgent optimism for planetary health: lessons from the video game industry

Playing video games does not directly solve real-life problems but gamers learn to collaborate and act on decisions; skills that are necessary if we are to shift from highlighting problems to taking action. We need more games where people are led through virtual climate scenarios that might give them the confidence to act in the real world. Changing habits is difficult; there will be challenges when transitioning from video games; used for mental escape to using lessons from those games to start taking action in real life while keeping a sense of inspiring adventure.

What the Latest Health Check Tells Us About the State of Our Planet

Earth system science has come a long way in understanding the bio-geo-chemical and physical strengths and weaknesses of how the land, atmosphere, oceans and all life interact. Our most recent Planetary Boundary health check shows that 6 of 9 biophysical systems and processes that regulate the state of the planet have transgressed their boundary level and are outside of the safe operating space for humanity. This puts us at risk of permanently undermining the livability for all humans, in terms of everything from water, food, and health to security.

Why the planetary diet is the wellness regime to follow if you give a f*** about the planet

The word 'diet' may conjure up fears of rumbling tummies and hangry encounters but throw in a promise to help the planet and live longer without a cabbage soup in sight and we're listening. Enter, the planetary diet, a nutrient-dense eating plan developed by scientists and health experts following an international commission for new guidelines to support our growing population. Unlike most restrictive diets, you can still eat meat, dairy and carbs (yes, really!) but there's a strong focus on prioritising the plant-based options (obvs) and doubling our nut, fruit and veg intake.

Why “Blue Space” Might Be the Secret to Health and Happiness

It’s no secret that the sea—being in it, by it, near it—has long been considered beneficial for our overall health. There’s a reason that, in the 18th century, before things like SSRIs and therapy, women suffering from “hysteria”, a catch-all phrase for “feeling bad”, would be sent to coastal locales as a remedy. And we also just know anecdotally, don’t we? After my recent weekend by the sea, I felt happier and healthier than I had done in months. My cortisol levels lowered, my skin cleared up, and I actually caught up on sleep without bolting awake at 7 a.m. with an unspecific feeling of unease. But why is the sea so healthy for us? And what does it say about how we should be living?

‘Planetary health diet’ could save 40,000 deaths a day, landmark report finds

This article is more than 2 months old ‘Planetary health diet’ could save 40,000 deaths a day, landmark report finds This article is more than 2 months old Diet allows modest meat consumption and would also slash food-related climate emissions by half, says report by 70 leading experts from 35 countries

Resources

10 things you can do to help save our planet

The scale of the challenges facing our planet can seem daunting, but we can all do something. Here are 10 simple ways you can help reduce your impact, and help in the fight against climate change.

10 ways to save the planet

Yesh goes deep into the opportunities to come with Ryan Panchadsaram, co-author of the book Speed & Scale, an action plan to get global emissions to zero by 2050. Ryan breaks this monumental task down into the ten most important actions we need to take to save the planet—and what those actions will mean for your career.

Planetary Health Alliance

The Planetary Health Alliance is catalyzing a global movement to create a livable future for humanity and the rest of life on Earth for generations to come by regenerating Earth’s natural systems.

Planetary Guardians

An independent collective elevating the science to make the Planetary Boundaries a measurement framework for the world.

Planetary Health

Our work in Planetary Health covers projects that explore the relationships and interdependencies between human health and the environment. These include all natural systems, such as oceans, land, atmosphere, flora, fauna, fungi and microbes. Our Explorers study, document and illuminate these interdependencies; identify and dissect conflicts; and create innovative solutions that mutually benefit humans, ecosystems and the planet.