Foundations of Planetary Health

About

In the face of accelerating climate crises and environmental degradation, understanding the deep interconnections between human health and planetary well-being is more critical than ever. This course highlights how the Planetary Health crisis extends far beyond climate change alone: it represents a broader environmental and systems-level challenge that intensifies ongoing public health issues and is driven by social inequities, unequal access to resources, and disparities in political power. In this course, participants will build a foundational understanding of the key concepts, frameworks, and justice-oriented perspectives that shape the field of planetary health.

Throughout the course, participants will learn how the Planetary Health crisis is more than climate change alone but part of a wider environmental and systems-level issue that exacerbates an ongoing public health crisis, which itself is underpinned by societal inequities in health outcomes, access to resources, and political power. Drawing on case studies, historical perspectives, and the latest research, participants will engage deeply with themes such as decoloniality, the social, spatial, and political determinants of health, and the role of the private sector in health-harming (e.g. fossil fuels, tobacco, alcohol) and health-promoting (e.g. “green” technologies) activities. The course will also explore how urbanization and large infrastructure developments have concomitant impact on human health and living environments. Additionally, the course will encourage transformative thinking, providing participants with the tools to envision alternative, sustainable futures and the practical skills to advocate for health equity in their personal and professional lives.

Led by experts from various fields, the course includes interactive lectures, group discussions, and reflective sessions, offering both theoretical insights and practical approaches to integrating a planetary health perspective into their daily lives, advocacy, and activism. Participants will explore their roles as academics, professionals, and change-makers, fostering a sense of responsibility and agency to address the pressing challenges posed by the planetary health crisis.

Course leader

Dr. George Downward, Dr. Joyce Browne, Prof. dr. Ajay Bailey, drs. Camilla Alay Llamas, drs. Juliette Mattijsen

Target group

This course is open to all with an interest in planetary health and climate justice:

Professionals: health professionals, policymakers, Professionals working in other sectors whose work intersects with themes related to climate change, justice and planetary health(PhD) researchers, from any discipline but with an affinity with Planetary Health

Master’s level students from a wide range of backgrounds, e.g. medicine, global health, public health, biomedical sciences, environmental health, philosophy, bioethics, applied ethics, sociology, geosciences, etc.

We would like to warmly welcome people from outside the healthcare sector, as we value diverse perspectives from other sectors and fields.

Course aim

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Define key concepts, principles, and frameworks within planetary health and articulate their relevance to contemporary global challenges.
Analyze the relationships between environmental change, social inequities, resource distribution, and human and non-human health outcomes.
Evaluate major determinants of planetary health across ecological, social, and economic domains.
Interpret current evidence on the drivers of planetary degradation and their implications for population health.
Apply foundational frameworks to assess scenarios that illustrate the interconnectedness of environmental systems and human well-being.

Fee info