Mathilde Pascal1, Pascal Beaudeau2, Sylvia Medina2, Nikita Charles Hamilton3,4,5. 1. Santé Publique France, Saint-Maurice, France. Mathilde.PASCAL@santepubliquefrance.fr. 2. Santé Publique France, Saint-Maurice, France. 3. The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England. 4. Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland. 5. École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique (EHESP), Rennes, France.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Loss of biodiversity and globalized environmental degradation result in planetary-scale changes which impact human societies. RECENT FINDINGS: This paper highlights the urgency for public health researchers to integrate a global change perspective into their daily work. The public health community needs to answer several questions, e.g., how to weight the health of present and future generations; how to balance between the possible immediate adverse impacts of mitigating climate change vs long-term adverse impacts of global change; how to limit the environmental impacts of public health intervention; and how to allocate resources. Public health practitioners are faced with a moral responsibility to address these challenges. Key elements to ensure long-lasting, innovative global change and health solutions include (i) empowering the population; (ii) tailoring the framing of global change and health impacts for different stakeholders; (iii) adopting less conservative approaches on reporting future scenarios; (iv) increasing accountability about the health impacts of mitigation and adaptation strategies; and (v) recognizing the limits of science.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Loss of biodiversity and globalized environmental degradation result in planetary-scale changes which impact human societies. RECENT FINDINGS: This paper highlights the urgency for public health researchers to integrate a global change perspective into their daily work. The public health community needs to answer several questions, e.g., how to weight the health of present and future generations; how to balance between the possible immediate adverse impacts of mitigating climate change vs long-term adverse impacts of global change; how to limit the environmental impacts of public health intervention; and how to allocate resources. Public health practitioners are faced with a moral responsibility to address these challenges. Key elements to ensure long-lasting, innovative global change and health solutions include (i) empowering the population; (ii) tailoring the framing of global change and health impacts for different stakeholders; (iii) adopting less conservative approaches on reporting future scenarios; (iv) increasing accountability about the health impacts of mitigation and adaptation strategies; and (v) recognizing the limits of science.
Entities:
Keywords:
Biodiversity; Climate change; Ethics; Global change; Planetary health; Public health