Improving human health by improving the health of our environment.
The health of the planet and the health of human communities are inextricably linked. What is planetary health? Without a healthy biosphere there is no thriving human future. This emerging field of applied research, policy and practice represents an intentional and catalytic effort to take on one of the greatest challenges the world has faced. It seeks to characterize the impact on our health of human-caused disruptions of Earth’s natural systems, taking a solutions-oriented approach, bridging different disciplines and sectors, and learning from successes and failures.
Without a healthy biosphere there is no thriving human future. Simply put, planetary health is the study of “well-being for people and the planet.”* This emerging field of applied research, policy and practice represents an intentional and catalytic effort to take on one of the greatest challenges the world has faced. It seeks to characterize the impact on our health of human-caused disruptions of Earth’s natural systems, taking a solutions-oriented approach, bridging different disciplines and sectors, and learning from successes and failures.
A quest to save lives by cleaning up production of a ubiquitous building material
Steve Luby, our director of research, became aware of a catastrophic airborne health threat facing tens of millions of people, and a likely culprit was the production of a ubiquitous building material: the humble brick. The realization forced Luby to rethink basic medical assumptions, and to challenge development community dogma that was failing to address the issue.