Colin D Butler1,2,3. 1. Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia. colin.butler1955@gmail.com. 2. Campus Visitor, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. colin.butler1955@gmail.com. 3. Principal Research Fellow, College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. colin.butler1955@gmail.com.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To combine evolutionary principles of competition and co-operation with limits to growth models, generating six principles for a new sub-discipline, called "planetary epidemiology." Suggestions are made for how to quantify four principles. RECENT FINDINGS: Climate change is one of a suite of threats increasingly being re-discovered by health workers as a major threat to civilization. Although "planetary health" is now in vogue, neither it nor its allied sub-disciplines have, as yet, had significant impact on epidemiology. Few if any theorists have sought to develop principles for Earth system human epidemiology, in its ecological, social, and technological milieu. The principles of planetary epidemiology described here can be used to stimulate applied, quantitative work to explore past, contemporary, and future population health, at scales from local to planetary, in order to promote enduring health. It is also proposed that global well-being will decline this century, without radical reform.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To combine evolutionary principles of competition and co-operation with limits to growth models, generating six principles for a new sub-discipline, called "planetary epidemiology." Suggestions are made for how to quantify four principles. RECENT FINDINGS: Climate change is one of a suite of threats increasingly being re-discovered by health workers as a major threat to civilization. Although "planetary health" is now in vogue, neither it nor its allied sub-disciplines have, as yet, had significant impact on epidemiology. Few if any theorists have sought to develop principles for Earth system human epidemiology, in its ecological, social, and technological milieu. The principles of planetary epidemiology described here can be used to stimulate applied, quantitative work to explore past, contemporary, and future population health, at scales from local to planetary, in order to promote enduring health. It is also proposed that global well-being will decline this century, without radical reform.
Entities:
Keywords:
Earth system; Environmental epidemiology; Global health; Limits to growth; Planetary boundaries; Planetary health
Authors: Will Steffen; Katherine Richardson; Johan Rockström; Sarah E Cornell; Ingo Fetzer; Elena M Bennett; Reinette Biggs; Stephen R Carpenter; Wim de Vries; Cynthia A de Wit; Carl Folke; Dieter Gerten; Jens Heinke; Georgina M Mace; Linn M Persson; Veerabhadran Ramanathan; Belinda Reyers; Sverker Sörlin Journal: Science Date: 2015-01-15 Impact factor: 47.728
Authors: Aaron J Cohen; Michael Brauer; Richard Burnett; H Ross Anderson; Joseph Frostad; Kara Estep; Kalpana Balakrishnan; Bert Brunekreef; Lalit Dandona; Rakhi Dandona; Valery Feigin; Greg Freedman; Bryan Hubbell; Amelia Jobling; Haidong Kan; Luke Knibbs; Yang Liu; Randall Martin; Lidia Morawska; C Arden Pope; Hwashin Shin; Kurt Straif; Gavin Shaddick; Matthew Thomas; Rita van Dingenen; Aaron van Donkelaar; Theo Vos; Christopher J L Murray; Mohammad H Forouzanfar Journal: Lancet Date: 2017-04-10 Impact factor: 79.321