10 YEARS OF PLANETARY HEALTH: A HOLISTIC, POST-DISCIPLINARY AND ENGAGED SCIENCE
The Planetary Health Annual Meeting took place in recent days in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It is a relatively new field of study that is gaining increasing prominence in the scientific and health world. It is based on the broadest possible concept of health, encompassing both human health and that of other living beings and entire ecosystems (we have already discussed it here).
Planetary Health is founded on the idea that there is a substantial interdependence among humans, other living beings on the Planet, and natural systems, which also determines the consequences when the balance is lost, as is happening due to climate change. Planetary Health therefore proposes an ecocentric approach to health and well-being: it suggests thinking in terms of systems – human and natural together – and overcoming the anthropocentric view that is the status quo in our health systems and societies. This represents a radical change in the vision of healthcare and in the relationship we have with the Planet, bringing along numerous challenges as well as opportunities to ensure a sustainable, healthy, and prosperous future.
Ten years of Planetary Health
The concept of Planetary Health was born about ten years ago, when a commission of scientists (the Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on Planetary Health) launched the idea of creating a new, dynamic, and transdisciplinary field of research and innovation to respond to the growing need for understanding, analysis, and adaptation to the impacts of the climate crisis on people’s health, as an integral part of ecosystems in their complexity.
During this congress, the tenth anniversary of the birth of Planetary Health was celebrated. In just a decade, Planetary Health has produced numerous new scientific findings, collaborations, and proposals for concrete solutions for our societies. Ten years ago, the Planetary Health Alliance was also founded—an international alliance of academic institutions and other organizations, including Italian Climate Network, too—which today includes more than 500 organizations from 82 countries around the world. Its mission is to promote research, education, collaboration, and the dissemination of knowledge and solutions for Planetary Health across all sectors, from the social sector to economics, from education to politics.
Thanks to the academic work of these people, today we have increasingly detailed and in-depth knowledge of how and to what extent climate change influences our health. The attribution science in the health field has also become increasingly developed, analyzing to what degree health problems can be attributed to climate change. For example, a very influential study published in Nature Climate Science in 2021 showed that 37% of total heat-related deaths (between 1998–2018) are attributable to anthropogenic climate change, based on data from over 700 locations in more than 40 countries.
The very definition of Planetary Health has evolved over the years, acquiring an increasingly holistic conception of the Planet’s systems, recognizing the deep interconnection between human health and all other forms of life on Earth, and emphasizing the need to regenerate natural systems rather than merely minimize damage. To achieve this, Planetary Health seeks to include multiple and diverse sociocultural groups, some of which are highly vulnerable to climate change but equally engaged in defending and protecting the Planet. Indigenous peoples are an example of this, committed to protecting the remaining biodiversity on the Planet while cultivating an attitude of respect and balance with the elements of nature. In addition, Planetary Health incorporates other forms of knowledge that are not limited to scientific evidence based on data and measurements. For instance, it also includes, in its body of knowledge and values, the traditional wisdom of peoples, especially those living in close contact with nature, as well as the understanding of the behaviors of other living beings and their strategies of adaptation.
The current tendency of Planetary Health is to have a post-disciplinary orientation, which entails breaking down all existing disciplinary boundaries (such as medicine, ecology, economics, etc.) and creating new systems of knowledge that can adapt to the enormous environmental challenges underway.
Planetary Health as an engaged science
Civil, social, economic, and justice commitment lies at the foundation of Planetary Health. It was born as an engaged science because the analysis of climate impacts on people and ecosystems—and even more, the search for concrete solutions—cannot be separated from addressing the social injustices deeply rooted in the climate crisis itself. We know that the so-called Global South countries, which have contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions, are also the most affected by climate threats and have lower climate resilience.
The most vulnerable groups in terms of physical and mental health (such as women, children, and the elderly), or those who are socially or geographically isolated (such as Indigenous populations or those living in remote areas), are often those who are most exposed to the worst impacts of climate change. Without addressing these inequalities, we cannot expect a more prosperous future for everyone.
At a historical moment in which science – particularly climate science – is in danger, as we are witnessing in the United States, the Planetary Health community is also committing itself to defending academic freedom and uncensored knowledge. Science must be transparent, open, and accessible to all. The obscuring of an engaged and vital science such as Planetary Health does not only entail a loss of knowledge but also a loss of lives (human and non-human), and the collapse of our societies on a Planet pushed to its limits by our actions.
Among the threats to Planetary Health discussed during the conference was also the rise of militarism in recent years. Wars not only cause direct damage to ecosystems but also divert precious resources and funding that could instead be devoted to interventions for transition and regeneration of ecosystems. Wars represent, in every respect, the opposite of planetary regeneration. In this sense, too, Planetary Health cannot be detached from global politics or remain indifferent to wars and conflicts that erase lives and destroy ecosystems.
The Planetary Health roadmap
Commitment thus turns into concrete actions and influences within our societies. In recent years, an educational framework on Planetary Health has been created to provide knowledge and tools to people, both health professionals and others. This type of education is necessary not only to prepare our health systems but also to guide everyone towards the so-called ‘Great Transition’, which must involve every discipline and dimension of human life. Collaborations have been established between academics and policymakers, entrepreneurs, and other members of civil society to listen to society’s needs and find concrete applications of the acquired knowledge. Efforts have been made to engage younger generations, providing them with education in Planetary Health as well as training to enable them to take on leadership roles in their local communities and initiate change. There was also discussion of alternative economic indicators (e.g., measures of well-being instead of pure profit) and of new economic models that are gradually taking hold in our societies, such as circular or regenerative economies.
All of this has been summarized and formulated in the Planetary Health Roadmap, which outlines the path to follow in the coming years. The roadmap encompasses six fundamental pillars: measuring Planetary Health through multidimensional metrics; communicating and spreading its teachings on a global scale; building holistic governance that takes environmental and social aspects into account; educating people to transform their lifestyles; balancing economy and Planetary Health so that they share the same goals; and finally, integrating the concepts of Planetary Health into our lives and societies. Because the role of Planetary Health goes beyond mere research and knowledge; integrating it into our societies entails a radical transformation of our values, habits, and the way we build our communities, prioritizing ecocentrism and planetary regeneration.
As stated at the congress, while these first ten years have been useful and necessary to define the conceptual framework, mission, and objectives of Planetary Health – gathering essential scientific, environmental, and sociocultural evidence – the next decade will be dedicated to dismantling the system that prevents its development.
Article by Lucia Giannini, coordinator of the Climate and Health section of Italian Climate Network.