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A Planetary Health Approach to Study Links Between Pollution and Human Health

  • Human Health Effects of Environmental Pollution (KC Makris, Section Editor)
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Abstract

The purpose of this review is to provide an understanding of the links between pollution and human health, pollution and planetary health, and planetary health and human health from the perspective of the anthropogenic activities that have had the most significant impact on these relationships including food pollution, transportation, and electricity production-related pollution, consumerism-related pollution, and agriculture-related pollution. The literature tells us that most pollution is being driven by anthropogenic activities used to sustain our species, our economies, and our consumption-based lifestyles. These activities and their subsequent pollution are driving at least eight of the nine planetary boundaries and are having profound impacts on both human and planetary health to the peril of the survival of many species including our own. Given that the two core planetary boundaries, climate change and biodiversity loss, have been crossed, and that the IPCC 2018 report calls for emissions reductions of 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching net zero around 2050 to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, it would seem that avoiding catastrophe and meeting the basic needs of the global populace will require nothing less than a rapid reduction of fossil hydrocarbon use in addition to a drastic reduction in ruminant meat consumption. Further research is needed, however, the urgency of the current planetary state requires action and, therefore, applied and outcomes research of initiatives that address these issues.

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Notes

  1. “Persistent organic pollutant-persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes. Many POPs are currently or formerly used as pesticides, solvents, pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals. Although some POPs arise naturally, most are man-made. POPs typically exhibit high lipid solubility and, as such, bioaccumulate in fatty tissues. They also tend to exhibit great stability in the environment, exerting their negative effects on the environment via long-range transport and bioaccumulation, often times, in the food chain.” [9]

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  1. Institute for Human and Planetary Health, Doane University, Crete, NE, USA

    Amanda McKinney

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Human Health Effects of Environmental Pollution

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McKinney, A. A Planetary Health Approach to Study Links Between Pollution and Human Health. Curr Pollution Rep 5, 394–406 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40726-019-00131-6

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