Housing stock is observed to be associated with high carbon emissions, high fuel poverty and low comfort levels in the UK. Retrofitting the housing stock is one of the best solutions to address these problems. This paper directly corresponds with human and planetary health in terms of climate change, human health and mental health by addressing the challenges of housing retrofit at scale. Retrofitting houses can also contribute to social equity, reduced use of planetary resources and better financial and physical comfort. Despite the availability of the right technology, government grants and the potential to acquire supply chain and skilled labour, the progress of retrofit is extremely poor. Importantly, the UK is off track to achieve net zero by 2050, and the housing stock contributes 18.72% of the total emissions. The problem is further exacerbated by the 30.4 million units of housing stock. Robust strategies are required to retrofit the housing stock at scale. The study uses a qualitative modelling method under the diffusion of innovations theory to formulate a retrofit-at-scale strategy for the UK. Findings recommend focusing on skill development, show homes, research and innovation, supply chain development, business models, government grants and regulatory tools in a trajectory from 2025 to 2050. The proposed strategy is aligned with the segments of the diffusion of innovation theory. Although the analysis was performed with reference to the UK, the findings are transferable, considering the broader and urgent concerns related to human and planetary health.

Background The EAT-Lancet planetary health diet was designed as a universal nutritionally adequate diet with minimal environmental impact. We aim to assess and propose revisions to increase its nutrient adequacy in the context of West Africa based on the local food supply. Methods We created a model EAT-Lancet diet using nutrient composition data from the FAO's Food Composition Tables for Western Africa (WAFCT). Median energy and nutrient profiles of EAT-Lancet diet food groups were calculated using WAFCT foods ( n = 596). Protein content was adjusted using the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). We multiplied the recommended EAT-Lancet diet intake for each food subgroup by these medians to determine daily nutrient intake. Nutrient adequacy was determined based on alignment with the FAO Codex nutrient reference values for adults. The Nutrient Rich Food (NRF) index, based on priority micronutrients, defined nutrient density. Isocaloric revisions were made to the EAT-Lancet diet to enhance its nutrient adequacy using WAFCT foods. Results Total energy of the modeled diet was 2,516 kcal/day. Total protein was 87 g/day while PDCAAS corrected protein was 62 g/day. Micronutrient shortfalls were observed for zinc, calcium, and vitamin A but not for iron, folate, and vitamin B12. Increasing intake of nutrient-rich liver, small dried fish, and pulses, while reducing whole grains and tree nuts, achieved micronutrient adequacy. Conclusion When analyzed using foods available in West Africa, the EAT-Lancet diet may provide adequate protein but not vitamin A, zinc, and calcium. Future iterations of the diet should consider including categories for micronutrient dense foods to ensure adequacy.

Background: Carbon emissions associated with patient travel for hospital visits contribute to climate change. This study estimated carbon emissions from patients travelling for in-person visits and carbon emissions associated with virtual health visits at the BC Children's and Women's Hospital Campus in 2021-2022. Methods: Anonymized visit data categorized by in-person/virtual, and aggregated by patients' home city/town, and fiscal quarter was obtained. Mode of travel assumptions were based on economic region and seasonality. Carbon dioxide equivalent emissions (CO2e) for a realistic scenario and alternative scenarios were calculated using equations derived from reference data. Results: There were 397,962 patient visits (19% virtual) associated with an estimated 10,001 metric tons of CO2e. Alternative scenarios showed that if patients from Northern or Interior regions travelled by plane during the winter, emissions decreased (-14%). While the proportion of visits that were virtual ranged from 16% to 40% by region, if all regions had 40% virtual visits, emissions would decrease by 14%. The largest reduction in carbon emissions (-26%) was found in the scenario where patients from Northern and Interior regions travelled by plane in the winter and the proportion of virtual visits increased to 40%. Conclusion: These findings underscore the need to raise awareness of the carbon footprint of healthcare related travel. The study urges a thoughtful consideration of planetary health when choosing between in-person and virtual visits, recognizing the ability to lower emissions by conducting virtual visits where appropriate.

This review investigates protein intake in early childhood (2-5 years), with particular attention to the context of climate change. Specifically, it draws on recent evidence regarding different protein sources and their respective benefits and concerns for both human and planetary health. While high protein intake, particularly from animal sources, during early childhood may contribute to excessive weight gain, both the quantity and quality of protein may shape growth trajectories and low intake of total protein or indispensable amino acids may result in growth restriction. The relevance of protein quality and amino acid composition is increasingly recognized. Plant-based and insect-derived proteins are emerging as sustainable alternatives with promising nutrient profiles, though uncertainties persist regarding digestibility, allergenicity, and long-term effects. Early childhood offers a key opportunity to introduce these proteins, yet evidence on acceptance and integration in children aged 2-5 years is still limited. Sensory preferences, food neophobia, and parental attitudes are major determinants of children's willingness to try and regularly consume alternative proteins. Meeting protein needs in early childhood requires balancing developmental demands with environmental sustainability. Alternative proteins may support this transition, but their nutritional adequacy, safety, and cultural acceptability must be ensured. Personalized nutrition strategies will be essential for guiding appropriate protein choices and promoting healthy growth during this formative period.

Health systems need to reduce their environmental impact and adapt to changing circumstances, such as increasing health problems caused by the ecological crisis. Research into relationships between climate, environment, health and health care has delivered valuable insights and greatly contributed to increased awareness, knowledge and action. However, one major and serious gap exists when it comes to social justice: issues related to gender and diversity are rarely included in research questions, methodologies and analyses. This long-standing bias amplifies and reproduces unjust policies, prejudiced practices and health disparities. To deliver future-proof solutions in health care it is imperative to consider climate justice in health research. Integrating intersectionality-based research methodologies—including their correspondence with Planetary Health—generates meaningful, applicable knowledge that would otherwise remain neglected. In this paper, we present a preview of “Coloring Connections,” a coloring book that seeks to provide researchers with tools, playful concepts, creative assignments and narratives to integrate gender and intersectionality amidst the climate crisis in their health research.

ABSTRACT As global awareness of climate change increases, its psychological effects particularly those arising from indirect exposure through the media are becoming an increasing source of concern. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between climate anxiety and indirect trauma caused by media exposure to climate change events. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 580 nursing students from various universities in the Mediterranean Region of Türkiye. Data were collected via an online survey between December 2024 and January 2025. The study utilized the ‘Scale for Indirect Trauma Caused by Media Exposure to Disasters (SITMED)’ and the “Climate Change Anxiety Scale (CCAS)”, both of which have been validated for the Turkish population. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0. The mean total score of SITMED was 2.85 ± 0.77, and for the mean total score of the CCAS 1.75 ± 0.72. A moderate positive correlation was found between media exposure to climate change events and climate change anxiety (r = .396, p = 0.000). Additionally, SITMED scores explained 15.7% of the variance in climate anxiety levels (R2 = 0.157, p < 0.05), indicating that media exposure plays a role in shaping climate anxiety but is not the sole determinant. In the fight against climate change, it is essential to consider its mental effects and to develop comprehensive strategies for increasing individuals’ mental resilience. It is recommended that solution-oriented content be presented instead of crisis-focused narratives in the media. It is recommended to integrate courses on planetary health, environmental health, and climate change should be integrated into the nursing curriculum. In this way, future nurses will be equipped to evaluate and address the effects of climate change in patient care.

Impacto del cambio global en la epidemiología de enfermedades infecciosas

Plant-based diets have the potential to benefit both human and planetary health. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of plant-based diets (vegan, lacto-vegetarian, pescatarian, and semi-vegetarian) in the Finnish adult population. We used data from the national Healthy Finland survey (2022–2023, n=28,153, response rate 46%, aged 20 years or older). Our analytical sample comprised 26,500 participants who completed a question of the frequency of consumption of nine animal- and plant-based food groups. The population shares (%) of plant-based and omnivorous diets and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated using survey weights. The population shares were 0.8% for vegan diets, 0.9% for lacto-vegetarian diets, 3% for pescatarian diets, 4% for semi-vegetarian diets, and 91% for omnivorous diets. Following a plant-based diet was more common in women, those aged 20-39 years, those living in urban areas, and those with high education compared to other groups. Following a vegan (3%), lacto-vegetarian (3%), or pescatarian (8%) diet was most common in women aged 20–39 years. These findings can be used to promote public health efforts in transition towards more plant-based and sustainable diets.

Comparative analysis of antibiotic-administered vs. antibiotic-free farming in meat production: Implications for health, environment, and antibiotic resistance.

Adherence to the EAT-Lancet Commission Planetary Health Diet and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in the Moli-sani Study Cohort: a Prospective Study and an Analysis of Biological Pathways

Development and Evaluation of a Planetary Health Diet Index: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America Study.

ABSTRACT Climate change, ecological degradation and global inequalities are symptoms of an eco-social polycrisis that threatens global health and health equity. This polycrisis is deeply rooted in Western value systems. These can be described as anthropocentric and individualistic and support the prevailing neoliberal economic model. Bioethics is now called to respond to the urgent health-related ethical challenges of the polycrisis and has recently begun to engage with Planetary Health and One Health in this regard. Both have mainly emerged in the Western scientific community and understand human health to be inextricably linked to the state of environmental and structural societal determinants. We argue that bioethics should indeed embrace holistic or integrated understandings of health but also carefully revisit the foundational Western value systems at the root of the polycrisis. If Planetary Health and One Health stay grounded in Western value systems, an extensive conceptual engagement might be problematic for bioethics. Instead of turning to Western concepts of health, bioethics should engage deeply with Indigenous and non-Western ways of knowing and critically reflect on its own role in inadvertently maintaining the status quo.

The global literature underscores a set of human wellbeing challenges and opportunities for forestland exploitation, albeit the lack of region-specific evidence. This concerns the Congo Basin, the second-largest forest ecosystem in the world. This study uses the case of the Campo Ma’an Landscape to: (i) analyze the challenges linked to the exploitation of forestland resources, and (ii) explore forest resource exploitation opportunities in the landscape. The study employed a random sample of 200 natural resource-dependent households drawn from four study zones—Niete, Campo, Ma’an and Akom II. This was complemented by focus group discussions (n = 4), key informant (n = 6) and expert (n = 6) interviews. The descriptive and inferential analyses led to the following results: First, economic, technical, socio-cultural and institutional challenges affect the sustainable exploitation of forestland resources in the Campo Ma’an Landscape. The economic challenges of forest (B = −0.389, p = 0.01) and land resource exploitation (B = −0.423, p = 0.006) significantly affect sustainable exploitation compared to other challenges, leading to biodiversity loss and deforestation. These constitute a threat to planetary health systems. Almost all households rely on forestland resources for their livelihoods and development, with opportunities for land resource exploitation outweighing those in forest resource exploitation. Protected area management and agriculture are affected owing to competing interests among farmers, conservationists and other land users. Thus, short-term economic gains are prioritized over long-term sustainability, putting the resource landscape at risk of degradation and future uncertainties. Integrated stakeholder engagement, capacity building, and policy revision could enhance the planetary health approach by linking the social, economic and environmental dimensions of forestland resource management.

Planetary-health literacy (PHL), the knowledge, motivation and social support required to safeguard both human and environmental health, may help adolescents cope with climate-related distress and adopt sustainable behaviours. Evidence on the linkage between PHL and mental health from Central and Eastern Europe is lacking. The aim of the study was to describe PHL in Czech adolescents by sex, grade and family affluence, examine its association with mental-health indicators, and explore links with selected environment-relevant behaviours. Cross-sectional data were drawn from the nationally representative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) 2022 survey (n = 4,195, 50.8% boys, ages 13 and 15 years). PHL was measured with an 11-item HBSC optional package yielding three sub-scales (knowledge, action, perceived pro-environmental social norms). Outcomes were wellbeing (WHO-5), life satisfaction (Cantril's ladder), and psychological complaints (HBSC symptom checklist). Fruit and vegetable intake plus cigarette and e-cigarette use served as behavioural correlates. Girls scored higher than boys on all PHL domains (Cohen d = 0.10-0.19). Thirteen-year-olds reported more action and stronger social norms than fifteen-year-olds (p < 0.001); socioeconomic gradients were small. In fully adjusted models, social norms were positively associated with wellbeing (β = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.12-1.72) and life satisfaction (β = 0.10, 0.08-0.13), and inversely with psychological complaints (β = -0.27, -0.33 to -0.21). Knowledge showed weak adverse relations with wellbeing and complaints, whereas action was associated with wellbeing only. Higher PHL related to daily fruit and vegetable consumption and inversely to intensive e-cigarette use; effect sizes were modest. Perceived pro-environmental social norms appear most tightly related to adolescent mental health, while overall PHL is slightly associated with sustainable dietary patterns and lower use of e-cigarettes. School curricula that combine climate education with collaborative, action-oriented projects may therefore deliver co-benefits for planetary and psychological health in Central and Eastern Europe.

ABSTRACT This article explores the relationship between zoonotic outbreaks and the interconnected nature of globalization through the lens of the One Health framework. It argues that global ecological changes driven by climate changes, deforestation, intensified agriculture, wildlife trade, and urban expansion have significantly elevated the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. It emphasizes how globalization has intensified some of the factors that contribute to the emergence of zoonotic outbreaks, and has also facilitated the spread of infectious diseases. Drawing on recent examples, such as the emergence of H1N1, COVID-19 and Nipah virus outbreaks, the article emphasizes the need for robust, interdisciplinary collaboration among human, animal, and environmental health sectors. The article advocates for a comprehensive global strategy rooted in the One Health approach to mitigate future zoonotic threats. It argues that this approach is based on an ethical principle of solidarity, which refers to the enacted commitment to support others based on the recognition of shared vulnerabilities or similarities. This principle is essential for collective responses to global challenges like zoonotic diseases. The One Health approach requires reinvesting in multilateral governance, enhancing wildlife and livestock surveillance, and addressing socio-environmental drivers of disease emergence, thereby promoting planetary health and global biosecurity. However, it also highlights the vulnerabilities created by nationalistic and populist policies, based on a distrust of multilateral organizations and international cooperation, and that have underfunded global health institutions, particularly affecting low-resource regions where early detection systems are lacking.

BackgroundHuman and planetary health are deeply interconnected and endangered by the triple planetary crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Despite proactive measures being pursued to reduce healthcare’s overall environmental footprint, relatively few of these are directed at primary care, notwithstanding that it accounts for up to 25% of healthcare’s ecological impact. Within Ireland’s primary healthcare sector, despite a growing recognition of the importance of environmentally sustainable healthcare, little is known about the perspectives of those healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in the sector to delivering more environmentally sustainable primary care services.MethodsThis qualitative descriptive study explored the knowledge and attitudes of community pharmacists, dentists, general practitioners and practice nurses working in primary care in Ireland, toward planetary health and sustainable healthcare. Semistructured interviews were conducted between May and September 2024 and analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis.ResultsAnalysis of interviews (n=20) produced a broad range of insights which were consolidated into three higher order categories. Findings revealed that while HCPs recognised the importance of climate action, many felt unable to translate concern into practical change in primary care due to barriers such as a lack of knowledge, limited guidance and inadequate system-level supports. HCPs emphasised the need for targeted training, access to practical tools and clear leadership from the relevant stakeholders.ConclusionThis study highlights the urgent need to shift from reliance on individual motivation to practice sustainably, to a coordinated public health response in Ireland. Achieving this requires educational and systemic changes, including supportive policy, incentivisation and practical sustainable interventions, to embed environmental sustainability into routine care.

Adherence to a Planetary Health Diet and Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Longitudinal Cohort Study From the UK Biobank.

Planetary Health Diet Index and Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Insights From Two Large Prospective Cohorts.

Planetary health challenges, such as climate change, pollution, deforestation, overfishing, and habitat destruction, are disproportionately experienced and act as threat multipliers to the health, welfare, and security of human and more-than-human species. Nurses, by virtue of their position, are increasingly confronting the health implications stemming from environmental change. An awareness that human health is interrelated with planetary health should inform their role as care providers who can develop solutions to face these unprecedented challenges. This paper stems from a study observing the journeys, approaches, activities, and priorities of 14 registered nurses engaged in planetary health initiatives. Using a focused ethnographic methodology with data from semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and arts-informed self-reflections, this research has the potential to inform practice, policy, education, and research within the nursing profession. It also serves to highlight the importance of empowering nurses to engage in planetary health initiatives as advocates for social and environmental justice.

The prevailing climate emergency continues to exacerbate health, economic and power inequities across the Global South and Global North. In particular, Two-Spirit people navigating their intersecting marginal identities confront health inequities stemming from colonially-induced climate disruptions, resource extractivism and land theft; yet, their perspectives are seldom considered in climate policy and practice. This is the case in the Deshkan Ziibi (the Thames River ecosystem in southwestern Ontario, Canada), where there is minimal climate-related literature that prioritizes Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer perspectives in the region. To assess the impacts of the climate crisis on Two-Spirit health in the Deshkan Ziibi and highlight how Two-Spirit kincentric worldviews foster planetary health. A critical multi-method approach was employed. A scoping review synthesized existing literature on Two-Spirit health and climate change, while traditional stories were analyzed through queer-decolonial frameworks to uncover alternative epistemologies and practices of multispecies relationality. Findings reveal that Two-Spirit people in the Deshkan Ziibi experience heightened vulnerability to the climate crisis due to intersecting systems of oppression. However, the research also identifies sites of agency that expose the colonial legacies embedded in dominant climate justice paradigms. This work calls for a re-evaluation of planetary health promotion, governance and interventions by incorporating Two-Spirit worldviews of interconnectedness.