Planetary health values and their implications for sustainability governance: Case study in the City of Blue Mountains, Australia

Abstract

Planetary health asserts that human health is contingent on the health of ecosystems. While the field has grown significantly since 2015, no known research has tested the expediency of planetary health as an applied values framework in local sustainability governance. This article seeks to address this gap by answering: how useful is planetary health for understanding the way citizens value nature and how nature shapes their health and wellbeing? What are the implications for using planetary health as a sustainability governance framing? Blue Mountains City Council is arguably the first local government globally to adopt a planetary health approach to its strategic framing of sustainability. This makes the Blue Mountains, Australia, an internationally relevant case study for contributing original knowledge about the usefulness of planetary health for sustainability governance. Through this case study, I undertook a face-to-face survey (n = 85) in March and April 2022 with Blue Mountains residents on their values associated with planetary health. I used the IPBES Assessment for Diverse Values of Nature as the basis for thematic analysis of the survey data. The article presents a first outline of residents’ planetary health values. Planetary health was found to be an effective means of understanding diverse nature-health values. Local governments can consider using planetary health in its strategic planning, outcomes monitoring and financial reporting. Future research can consider how planetary health values are prioritised in respect to other values framings and improve knowledge of planetary health by understanding of how people with diverse life experiences value nature-health relationships.