Planetary health and wellbeing

Through sustainable development, we aim to meet the needs of current generations without threatening the fulfilment of future generations' needs. Overall, sustainable development takes ecological, economic and social perspectives into account in a balanced manner. The areas of sustainability are closely interlinked; one cannot be achieved without paying sufficient attention to the others. Therefore, it is important that any decisions and societal actions consider all dimensions of holistic sustainability simultaneously, understanding that ecological sustainability is the foundation for everything.

Ecological sustainability refers to respecting the earth’s carrying capacity. The natural systems set so-called planetary boundaries within which societies must operate. Ensuring ecological sustainability directs us to use the environment and natural resources in a manner that prevents overconsumption of the planet’s resources and the pollution or destruction of the environment.

Social sustainability refers to the ability of society to maintain and promote human health and welfare in the long term. It includes several dimensions, such as social structures, equality, education, poverty reduction, human rights and social justice. A socially sustainable society ensures a fair distribution of resources, treats all its members fairly and equally, offers opportunities to develop and participate in society, while also safeguarding the wellbeing of vulnerable population groups.

Economic sustainability refers to a balanced economy that also supports the achievement of social and ecological sustainability in the long term, i.e. without the destruction of natural resources or indebtedness. Economic sustainability is based on preserving natural capital, saving and equitable use of non-renewable natural resources, minimising waste, and the circular economy.

The rapid adaptation and mitigation measures needed to mitigate the environmental crises will affect different population groups in varying ways. Therefore, it's crucial to target these measures to ensure that efforts to promote environmental, health, and wellbeing outcomes are realized as equitably as possible.

For example, the changes related to transport, housing, nutrition or livelihoods affect different groups in different ways. Even if people’s motivation to adopt environmentally sustainable and health-promoting lifestyle choices were to increase, active mobility such as walking or cycling and a plant-based diet are not equally possible for everyone.

In addition, the vulnerability of different population groups to issues such as the impacts of climate change varies greatly and there are also regional differences. Heatwaves particularly burden older people and those with long-term illnesses. The vulnerability of low-income people to the consequences of climate change may be pronounced if they lack the resources to prepare for and adapt to changes. The indirect impacts of changes in the environment on livelihoods, food prices and jobs may also reduce health and welfare and increase inequalities.

Poor and vulnerable communities will often be most affected by the adverse effects of climate change, and as a result, the livelihoods, health and living conditions of vulnerable communities are particularly at risk. It is important to identify and take into account these inequalities in the measures used to combat and adapt to climate change.

Challenges related to the environmental crises are intertwined with economic, social and public health challenges in a complicated manner. Solving current global crises requires systemic thinking and problem-solving models capable of taking the connections and dependencies between problems into consideration.

Systemic analysis allows us to better understand the links and impacts between societal structures, actions, systems, the built environment and people’s lifestyles.

It is essential to change the current ways of consuming natural resources and affecting the state of the environment as we move towards a sustainable society that acknowledges the boundaries set by the planet’s carrying capacity. Current measures are not yet sufficient to halt climate change, biodiversity loss or pollution and the resulting health hazards.

Measures such as reducing the use of fossil fuels and increasing the use of renewable energy sources play a key role in mitigating climate change and improving air quality and will require both rapid and long-term measures and sufficient investments. Extensive changes are also required in the food system.

Human activity has significantly affected the state of the planet. Each year, humankind uses more natural resources than the planet can keep producing. At the same time, pollution has destroyed water bodies, air and soil. As a result of human activity, the global average temperature has increased by more than 1.15 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times.

The overconsumption of natural resources, environmental pollution and the harmful modification of the environment threaten our health and welfare in multiple ways. In addition to mitigating environmental changes, we now have to prepare for their consequences, such as heat waves caused by climate change and other extreme weather phenomena, as well as the health impacts and increasing costs resulting from them.

In addition, the lack of contact with nature is already visible in our health and wellbeing. In the last century, our living environment became urbanised and our lifestyles changed. These changes have led to a loss of diversity in the human microbiota, disturbing the balance of the immune system. This, in turn, is linked to the emergence of several diseases, such as allergies, asthma and type 1 diabetes.

The planetary health and wellbeing approach aims to particularly identify and promote solutions that simultaneously benefit the promotion of human health and wellbeing and the mitigation of climate and environmental crises. The key to solving the climate crisis and reducing the harm caused involves a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels.

This change would also significantly improve air quality and reduce morbidity caused by air pollution. Other examples of promoting planetary health and wellbeing include switching to more plant and fish-based diets, increasing physically active lifestyles through community planning and, for example, reducing smoking, as nicotine products cause major harm to both health and the environment.

Human health and welfare and the state of the environment are influenced at all levels of decision-making and in all areas of politics. Decision-makers must take different perspectives into account and anticipate the consequences of decisions in a far-reaching manner across sectoral boundaries. A broad approach, such as planetary health and wellbeing can provide the framework needed for today’s decision-making. For this reason, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare proposes in its goal for influencing that planetary health and wellbeing should be integrated into the core of decision-making.

While planetary health is a relatively new concept, a growing need for it has been seen both in Finland and internationally. Research in the field is constantly increasing. From a research perspective, this is a multidisciplinary field that combines expertise in medicine, environmental sciences and fields such as biology with expertise in social sciences, economics and other fields in a way that promotes long term human health and welfare while ensuring overall sustainability.

In the coming years, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare will continue to promote the welfare, health and safety of the population also through a planetary and health and wellbeing approach. Planetary health and wellbeing support the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, to which Finland is committed.

Concepts that are related to and partly overlap with planetary health include One Health and the economy of wellbeing.