THE COVID-19 pandemic has reminded humans that we are part of, and not separate from, an intricately balanced and interconnected planetary system. The initial dominant response to the pandemic has been very human health focused. However, such a response alone is inadequate and runs the risk of missing the main lessons this pandemic can offer about how we need to live on this planet. Many of the insights are not new and many people have been trying to highlight how far-reaching changes to the function and structure of natural systems on the planet represent a growing threat to human health in the Anthropocene. Indeed, these concepts were given prominence in 2015 in the Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission report on planetary health. This presentation will canvas some possible Planetary Health Futures and how we could develop better long-term relationships with such emerging scenarios.

June 2, 2021