PLANETARY HEALTH REPORT CARD Medicine

“Planetary Health is a solutions-oriented, transdisciplinary field and social movement focused on analyzing and addressing the impacts of human disruptions to Earth’s natural systems on human health and all life on Earth” (Planetary Health Alliance, 2024)

As future health professionals, we must be prepared to address the impacts of human-caused environmental changes on our patients’ health, and to understand and mitigate the environmental impact of clinical care. It is imperative that we hold our institutions accountable for educating health students on planetary health and education for sustainable healthcare, generating research to better understand health impacts and solutions, supporting related student initiatives, embracing sustainable practices on our campuses and in our hospitals, and engaging with surrounding communities that are most affected by environmental threats. Because climate change and environmental threats disproportionately affect marginalized populations, these issues are inherently ones of equity and justice.