Webinar: Planetary Health is Public Health

Webinar co-hosted by the Planetary Health Alliance and the American Public Health Association.

"Planetary Health is Public Health: Understanding the Earth System Crisis and the Critical Role of Education"

Panelists:
Katherine Catalano, Deputy Director of Climate, Health and Equity, APHA
Jessica Kronstadt, Program Director, PHA
Michelle Loosli, Senior Program Manager, Climate Education, APHA
Jelena Malogajski, Education Director, PHA
Leyla McCurdy, Chair, APHA's Children's Environmental Health Committee

As we navigate the unprecedented crises of Earth's systems brought about by human activity —marked by fires, floods, droughts, heatwaves, and storms—we are reminded that this is not solely an environmental issue but a humanitarian and global health emergency. The scale of environmental disruption is no longer an environmental conversation; it is a humanitarian and global health emergency.

The public’s health is being threatened by pollution, water scarcity, increasing weather disasters, changing patterns of disease transmission, climate change, and biodiversity loss, among others. Every aspect of human health and well-being is affected. This webinar, co-hosted with the American Public Health Association (APHA) as part of their 150-year commitment to advancing equitable health and well-being for all, will use a Planetary Health lens to explore the interconnected ecological determinants of health and the need for a transdisciplinary approach to developing a livable future in which all people can thrive.

Our health and survival, along with that of future generations, depend on our ability to change how we see our role within nature and how we live on this planet. The webinar will share valuable resources for teaching and learning more about Planetary Health. These resources will include educational materials and practical tools that educators and learners can use to deepen their understanding of the vital connections between ecological systems and human health.