As humans, we like to think in categories, but the truth is we’ve never lived in a world where the health of humans, ecosystems and the planet could be effectively addressed in silos. The severe and wide-ranging effects of climate change, the biggest health threat of the 21st century according to the World Health Organization, force us to confront and address this reality. Along with attending to human health, we must also focus on the planet’s health. Planetary Health as defined in 2015 by “Lancet,” is “the health of human civilization and the natural systems upon which it depends.”
In its timely Declaration calling on family doctors of the world to act on planetary health, the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) urged doctors globally to “communicate to patients that their health ultimately depends on the environment, both in their immediate vicinity and globally.”
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Image taken from thehill.com