The nexus between health and the environment has been underscored by crises such as COVID-19 and the climate crisis. As awareness of policy interlinkages grows, so does the need for more coordinated EU and national policymaking.
Calls for a more holistic approach have long been recognised, but the pandemic has further emphasised the importance of dismantling existing barriers in policymaking to improve the health status of people, animals, and the planet.
This Discussion Paper, funded by Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, advocates for implementing a planetary health approach across all levels of governance to encourage transdisciplinary action and puts forward ten recommendations:
- Pursue coordinated policymaking by breaking down silos.
- Appoint an Executive Vice President for the Well-being Economy.
- Plan and implement national roadmaps and establish common indicators.
- Create best practices platforms.
- Adopt planetary health for health systems.
- Promote education on planetary health.
- Adopt a European-wide communication campaign.
- Invest in research and innovation.
- Foster the integration of the European Health Data Space with future data spaces.
- Work with international partners to adopt a global planetary health approach.
Planetary health offers many benefits for health and the environment. However, without concentrated efforts to move beyond the traditional siloed approach to policymaking, the benefits may never be realised.
Read the full paper here.