Public health guide to field developments linking ecosystems, environments and health in the Anthropocene

Abstract

The impacts of global environmental change have precipitated numerous approaches that connect the health of ecosystems, non-human organisms and humans. However, the proliferation of approaches can lead to confusion due to overlaps in terminology, ideas and foci. Recognising the need for clarity, this paper provides a guide to seven field developments in environmental public health research and practice: occupational and environmental health; political ecology of health; environmental justice; ecohealth; One Health; ecological public health; and planetary health. Field developments are defined in terms of their uniqueness from one another, are historically situated, and core texts or journals are highlighted. The paper ends by discussing some of the intersecting features across field developments, and considers opportunities created through such convergence. This field guide will be useful for those seeking to build a next generation of integrative research, policy, education and action that is equipped to respond to current health and sustainability challenges.

Intertwined Strands for Ecology in Planetary Health

“…Even so, the past decade has seen an expanding range of calls for, and claims of, integrative approaches to health and well-being that engage with ecological context. Accompanying this has been an expansion of terminology across scales and issues, spanning biodiversity and health, ecohealth, one health, healthy parks healthy people, ecological determinants of health and planetary health (see [1,2]). These efforts are in addition to ongoing Indigenous leadership in this space [3][4][5][6].…”

“…Our purpose here is to examine the evolution of ecological thought and practice as it has been applied to health and well-being, and the cultural and socio-political consequences of these adoptions. We build on recent efforts to consolidate thinking around the diverse, complex and-to many-confusing field developments at the intersection of human health and environmental change [1]. While the gaze of this paper is, specifically, on 'ecology and health', we acknowledge the vast range of world views, knowledges and literatures that are relevant to this terrain, but which are not the focus of our analysis here (consider for example geography and post-humanism).…”

“…While the gaze of this paper is, specifically, on 'ecology and health', we acknowledge the vast range of world views, knowledges and literatures that are relevant to this terrain, but which are not the focus of our analysis here (consider for example geography and post-humanism). Similarly, for the purposes of this paper, we recognize planetary health's diverse historical background and its foundational principle that human health is irrevocably coupled to the health of natural systems within the Earth's biosphere [1,7].…”

Larger Than Life: Injecting Hope into the Planetary Health Paradigm

“…Obviously, these are merely a few examples among many which make clear that 'planetary health' isn't a protected term; within academic sciences, consolidated and overlapping movements which have since solidified into several professional 'disciplines'-these include, but are not limited to, 'One Health', 'EcoHealth', 'Global Health' and our focus here, 'Planetary Health' [44,45]. We use the term discipline or field only for convenience.…”

Beyond Climate Change and Health: Integrating Broader Environmental Change and Natural Environments for Public Health Protection and Promotion in the UK

“…(Table 1). Although accepted for several decades in the wider environmental science community, research into these effects of climate change on human health are relatively recent [3][4][5], but growing [18][19][20][21]. There is also increasing recognition that climate change effects that may appear to be distal in time and/or space can still have major effects on ecosystems and human health in areas such as the UK in the present or near future [22].…”