What is Planetary Health?

In recent decades, environmental degradation has highlighted the close connection between human health and the health of Earth’s ecosystems. Planetary Health, a growing transdisciplinary field and global movement, aimed to protect both humans, non-humans, and the natural systems that support life.

Planetary Health examines not only the environment or health in isolation but instead looks at the complex feedback loops linking both. In the Anthropocene – an era defined by significant impacts caused by human activities on the planet – it provides an approach for rethinking how societies can thrive while respecting and tending to Earth’s natural ecological limits.

“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.”

Planetary Health Alliance

Planetary Health Lens in Education

Planetary Health is a critical component of modern education as it emphasizes the interdependence between human well-being and the integrity of natural systems on which societies depend. Integrating Planetary Health into educational frameworks fosters systems thinking, sustainability literacy, and a holistic understanding of global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion. It equips learners with the knowledge, values, and competencies needed to promote health (bothhuman and non-human) within the boundaries of the planet’s ecological limits (Whitmee et al., 2015; Prescott et al., 2018).

Embedding Planetary Health principles in curricula not only prepares future professionals to be able to address complex environmental and health challenges but also cultivates responsible global citizens, capable of advancing equitable and sustainable development (Harvard University Planetary Health Alliance, 2023).