Planetary Health

I study planetary health because nature is a vital, restorative force – a biological necessity for human existence, not a luxury. We simply cannot have healthy people on a sick planet. My work expands the nursing lens to the entire biosphere, treating ecosystems as our essential external life-support systems. Through this framework, I explore how environmental degradation leads to human suffering and how reconnecting with healthy natural systems expands our capacity for wellbeing. By restoring the planetary foundations of health, we move beyond treating symptoms to ensure that both humanity and the environment have the power to flourish.
 

Expert: Erica Timko Olson, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Our food supply represents one of the most critical connections between environmental wellbeing and human health. There are clear direct effects of extreme weather, such as heat waves and droughts, on the ability to grow crops and support livestock. However, there are also important indirect effects. For example, livestock operations can impact nearby water quality, which can make local water supplies used for crop irrigation and recreation unsafe for humans. Climate change is also helping agricultural pests expand their ranges, which is causing reduced crop yields in new areas. The safety and security of our food supply is intricately tied to the health of the environment.

Expert: Gillian Tarr, Associate Professor, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota Twin Cities

My group works on arthropod-borne viruses like dengue, Zika and Powassan viruses. Climate change has made more places around the globe suitable for the arthropods that transmit these viruses and warmer climates have extended virus transmission seasons. As a result, climate change is a major component that has enhanced opportunities for the spread and geographic expansion of these viruses. Health is impacted because these viruses are responsible for hundreds of millions of human infections worldwide every year.

Expert: Matthew Aliota, Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota Twin Cities