Governing global health with a planetary mindset

Abstract

In 2023, a disturbing milestone was reached: six out of nine planetary boundaries were crossed, signalling an unprecedented threat to Earth's stability.1 Simultaneously, the world grappled with a relentless series of disease outbreaks—Ebola, dengue, Zika, covid-19, Mpox, and Nipah. This convergence of crises is not coincidental. As Tulio de Oliveira, a leading genomics expert, warns, “Over half of known pathogen outbreaks will increase due to climate change.”2 The message is clear: our planet's health and human health are inextricably linked, demanding an urgent, integrated response. Recent years have seen tentative steps towards recognising this interconnection. The COP28 climate talks featured an official health day3 and the World Health Assembly adopted a climate and health resolution.3 The CEPI Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit in Brazil highlighted the cascading effects of climate change on infectious diseases, even impacting marine mammals like sea lions.4 However, these initiatives fall short of the substantial shift that is required. Three critical gaps …