Planetary Health and Social Justice
Overview
- Credit value: 30 credits at Level 6
- Convenor: Dr Aideen Foley
- Assessment: an 800-word poster presentation (20%) and 3000-word briefing paper for policy-makers (80%)
Module description
“As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.” - Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Human health and the health of our planet are inextricably linked. A warming planet places pressures on food and water security, alters the range of vector-borne diseases, and intensifies extreme weather events. These impacts don't affect everyone equally; those with the least resources are often most vulnerable. Furthermore, historical processes of social injustice have created legacies of unequal environmental burdens that accumulate today.
The interconnectedness of human and planetary health also means that policies that are good for the planet can deliver co-benefits for people, and vice versa. For example, research shows that high biodiversity frequently reduces rates of pathogen transmission and lowers disease risk for both humans and wildlife. To identify these opportunities and create a movement for change, we must understand these connections between environmental degradation and human health, through ecological, social, cultural, political and health lenses.
Centring questions of nature interconnectedness, systems thinking, social justice and movement building, in this module we explore links between anthropogenic environmental changes and human health from individual to population level. Through globally diverse case studies, we will discover how factors like culture, governance and technology can exacerbate or mitigate environmental health outcomes, and the implications of this for crafting just and inclusive environmental and health policies and interventions.
Indicative syllabus
- Planetary boundaries: what is a safe and just operating space for humanity?
- Caring in the Anthropocene: nature interconnectedness from indigenous worldviews to eco-anxiety
- No ‘natural’ disasters? Extreme weather events and disaster preparedness
- Climate (im)mobilities: migration, health and social justice
- Sustainable agriculture/hunger/nutrition
- Climate change and human health
- Sustainability in the healthcare sector
- Social justice and activism for planetary health
Learning objectives
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge of key ideas, debates and readings in planetary health
- discuss how planetary health issues relate to social justice and wider social issues (e.g. vulnerability and resilience)
- critically analyse challenges and dilemmas arising at the intersection of environmental and health policies.