Public health practitioners have long been aware of the close connections between health, ecosystems and society. In the past several decades the acceleration human-driven changes such as depletion of land and water resources, climate change, ocean acidification and biodiversity loss have increasingly disrupted these connections. Interacting with social and economic drivers, such as poverty, inequalities and conflict, these systemic changes to Earth’s life-supporting systems are directly and indirectly impacting human health and wellbeing. Without coordinated action to reduce these risks, global environmental change threatens to undermine current gains in health and wellbeing and the survival of future generations.
This pre-conference will explore what the emerging area of planetary health means in practice, for European public health researchers, practitioners and policy makers, with three sessions focusing on themes of water, air and food. Each session will feature research and practitioner cases and interactive group discussions. As planetary health is an emerging discipline, these sessions aim to:
- Present research, policy and practice examples to promote shared learning.
- Provide a forum for engaging discussion on new research directions, obstacles, and methodological innovations.
- Foster networking opportunities to establish new collaborations and partnerships.