Dr. Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, writes about the importance of interconnecting sustainability goals in her article below. It seems the impact of our green initiatives are magnified when we leverage their connections to one another. Professionals across the health sector have taken the lead on sustainability issues within their own institutions. Some have worked to get employers to divest from fossil fuels, others have worked to institute recycling measures in their facilities, and of course there are a host of leaders who are working toward broad climate solutions. This is also the idea behind the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals, which launched GGHH Connect, a powerful multilingual Internet platform. GGHH Connect provides a hub to catalyze and accelerate large-scale change in the health sector. Clearly, there are many ways to act sustainably. But working collectively makes more sense. As Dr. Robin says, "To respond to these realities and ensure that, collectively, the sustainable development goals have a strong chance of success, we need a new operating system for health and the planet - public health 2.0., or what is being called "planetary health."
Public Health 2.0: Planetary Health
By Dr. Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation I September 29, 2015
This week, the United Nations unveiled 17 goals-- and 168 targets - that comprise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The idea of specific goals for organizing action around pressing challenges is critical. But just as important is how these challenges interconnect. By leveraging those points of connection, we can make smarter investments with limited resources to create outsized impact.
A smart place to start: The connections between human health and planet. From the pollution of our air and water, to the increase in extreme weather events due to climate change, to a deterioration in biodiversity and natural systems, we are seeing dangerous trends that pose severe implications for human health. The impacts will be both changing patterns of known disease, and an increased likelihood that new, yet unknown diseases will emerge and spread in unforeseen ways.
To respond to these realities and ensure that, collectively, the SDGs have a strong chance of success, we need a new operating system for health and the planet - public health 2.0., or what is being called "planetary health." Over the last year, the Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on Planetary Health has investigated the challenges in safeguarding health in this era of unprecedented loss of biodiversity, climate change, and human impacts on our environment. From their findings, we believe the following actions must be taken if we're going to not only achieve the SDGs, but ensure our planet for the long-term.
