Planetary Health: Consequences of Environmental Change for Human Health

Planetary health is emerging interdisciplinary field that explores connections between environmental change and public health. Human-caused impacts on natural systems that have subsequent effects on human health include changes in land use, food systems, biodiversity, air pollution, and water availability. Our ability to understand planetary health requires synthesizing information from diverse academic disciplines across spatial and temporal scales, including atmospheric and climate science, ecology, epidemiology, and policy. Students from environmental health sciences and related fields learn how to interpret studies from scientific literature that discuss various aspects of planetary health, from drivers of environmental change to human health outcomes, integrate information across multiple scientific fields, and communicate planetary health research through oral presentation and written report.

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