The Rockefeller Foundation Economic Council on Planetary Health at the Oxford Martin School brings you a series of talks on understanding the interconnections between environmental and human health.

Humans are living longer, healthier lives than ever before. Global life expectancy is 72 years for a person born in 2016. Improvements to health have come from advancements in public health and medicine, as well as from agriculture and industry. However, this progress often comes at a cost. Human activities have caused global environmental change – not only do we pollute the air we breathe and the water we drink directly, but greenhouse gas emissions are changing the world’s climate. Furthermore these damages are an increasing cause of ill health : according to the World Health Organization, 23% of all deaths worldwide are attributable to environmental factors

The concept of ‘Planetary Health’ has emerged as a new field of multi-disciplinary study to address this complex challenge. In simple terms, it is defined as the health of human civilization and the state of the natural system on which it depends. In other words, it is concerned with how the health of all of us, and our ability to thrive, is dependent upon the corresponding health of the ecosystems in which we live.

In this series we look at how we can value nature and the environment more effectively, the latest synthesis of climate science through the IPCC’s 1.5 degree report, approaches to financing planetary health actions and the role of innovation and new technology in addressing critical planetary health challenges