Article 3: Harmony on Earth
by Hamsa Ganapathi
MS Candidate in Agriculture, Food, and Environment – Tufts University
Have you ever wondered how the lights you turn on affect the communities that live next to a power plant? Maybe you have thought about burning forests to create land for agriculture causes respiratory diseases. If you have, then you have already started thinking about planetary health!
This month’s article is all about Planetary Health, an emerging interdisciplinary field of research that seeks to understand how the immense amount of change that we as humans have imposed on the earth is affecting not only the health of the planet, but also all people.
Scientists in this field have studied what is termed the Anthropocene, a distinctive period that started in the mid-1900s in which “The Great Acceleration” of human growth increased the impact of human beings on the Earth at a rate much faster than any other point in recorded history. This period has allowed human beings to contribute to the very problems that make our entire population less healthy.
Growing food is a great example of the implications of planetary health. In many parts of the world, growing food means clearing land for agriculture. Forests and peatlands may be cleared by burning, which causes smoke and haze and reduces ecosystem services, or all the benefits humans get from a healthy Earth system. In the short run, we might get some new farmland. But in the long run, the human population experiences respiratory problems from the haze, such as worsened asthma and COPD. In fact, during a haze event in Indonesia in 2015, the haze was so bad that poor air quality caused premature deaths of children and created conditions that residents could not safely leave their homes without wearing masks. Burning further causes climate change from carbon dioxide released into the air from destroyed ecosystems. Climate change in turn has many negative health effects on humans, including heat waves that increase heat-related deaths and more frequent natural disasters that displace so many communities.
Addressing planetary health means changing how we interact with the Earth.
The best way to do that is to change how much we demand from the Earth’s resources. For example, using reusable shopping bags and produce bags reduces how much plastic and paper we use. Turning off lights when they are not in use also reduces the amount of fossil fuels burned to power our houses (and reduces our electricity bills!). But most importantly, we need to rethink our relationship to the Earth by reducing our negative impacts on our planet everyday and using our power to preserve our one and only home.
“In the end, achieving planetary health will require a renaissance in how we define our place in the world. A new narrative will reject the one streaming into our homes—that happiness comes from relentlessly acquiring more things—and embrace what we know: that what truly makes us happy is time spent with those we love, connection to place and community, feeling connected to something greater than ourselves, taking care of each other.”
Sam Myers, Planetary Health Alliance
References:
Planetary Health: The Future is Now– Planetary Health Alliance
What is planetary health? – Howie Frumkin
Planetary Health: protecting human health on a rapidly changing planet– Sam Myers
Typhoid and Torrents– Hillary Duff
Health and Haze– Hillary Duff
Climate Impacts on Human Health– US Environmental Protection Agency
For more information: www.planetaryhealthalliance.org
Action to Implement
🌱 April 2022: Sahasra Vrksha Sankalpa – As a CommUnity, bring your heart and hands to the ground to plant 1000 trees together. Track and share here.
🌱 March 2022: Contribute to the health of our planet and the health of beings by doing the following:
Each day take inventory of what goes in the trash.
Identify the most common item.
Find an alternative that eliminates this waste.
🌱 February 2022: Implement the following and encourage others to follow:
- Unplug chargers when not in use
- Use the ‘Energy Saver’ mode on phones & laptops
- Use cold water for laundry & line dry
🌱 January 2022: Identify 3 actions you do that help the environment and 3 actions that harm it
Post your reflections & observations in the comments section below ⬇️
March PS Workshop
CommUnity Reflections
In our fast-paced world we look for convenience and instant gratification.
It’s much faster and easier to use disposable plastic than to wash dishes. It is more convenient to turn up the heater instead of layering up. We may all want comfort but how important is it to have a livable planet for humans in the year 2050 and beyond? Where do our own values and sense of purpose align with planetary health?
Living in Texas, I have already seen first-hand the early effects of climate change, from extreme freezing temperatures to extreme heat. Advocating for making planetary health a priority involves not only making changes in our lifestyle, but reflecting on why we make certain daily lifestyle choices. I find myself taking shortcuts at times out of habit, which may be detrimental to the environment. Prior planning can help overcome these pressures of daily life, and help us make better choices for the environment. Ultimately, is our purpose strong enough to shift from short-term to long term thinking? The future of our children and grandchildren hangs in the balance!
~ Deepal Shanmugam
The living earth.
The giving earth.
Even in a few seconds, I can enumerate various gifts I have received from the earth. If Mother earth asks me what have I done for her, what would I say?
Interestingly, such questions were not part of my repertoire a few years ago. Even though the narrative of climate change was happening, it was only a piece of news for me- something that governments, corporations have to take action upon.
With the help of the Prithvi Sevasanga community, I was able to make it personal. By implementing simple changes in my daily routine, I can create a positive impact. Our household that was just happy to recycle is now proactive in reducing and reusing. Making vegan choices seems a small price for the health of my planet.
What kind of earth do we want to leave for our next generation? One where it hurts to breathe, or one filled with freshness and love of mother nature?
The choice is ours!
~ Saloni Khatri