Planetary Health News

Indonesia: Why Planetary Health Should Be on the Menu for the G20 Chair

At the World Economic Forum meeting in Geneva in January, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, the Group of Twenty (G20) chair in 2022, announced that he will focus on strengthening global health architecture, with an emphasis on building resilience in the face of pandemics.

Health of Our Planet Impacts Our Own Wellness

This was a joint column with Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, Sunway Centre for Planetary Health executive director, Malaysian and Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. They both stress the need to urgently think about and address how the health of our planet impacts our own individual wellness.

Malaysia is drowning in uneaten food – 6 steps you can take to help stop food waste

Food waste is a really serious element of the planetary health crisis and one of the issues that we have the most power to change by our individual behaviours.

An Agenda for Climate Change and Mental Health in the Philippines

The latest report from Climate Cares, based at the Imperial College London, is a welcome addition to the small but slowly growing body of knowledge on the interconnections between climate change and mental health.

Humanity Needs to Come Together for the Planet's Health

Dr Jemilah Mahmood, a physician and experienced crisis leader, was appointed the executive director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health at Sunway University in August 2021. She is the founder of aid organisation Mercy Malaysia and has served in leadership roles internationally with the United…

Climate, Health, and COP26 in the Time of COVID-19: Five Asks for the Global Health Sector

Scientific reports that have been published in recent weeks summarize the alarming situation we are currently in – and I am not referring to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which undoubtedly continues to bring disease and suffering to the world.

Decolonizing the Pandemic Treaty Through Vaccine Equity

In recent years, there have been growing calls to “decolonize” the field of global health. Global health traces its roots back to colonial medicine when old empires sought to address tropical diseases which, if not controlled, could be brought by colonizers back home.

Healing Planet Earth

Since Governments – through agreement on the 2015 Paris climate accord – imposed a deadline for limiting temperature increase to below 1.5 degrees celsius, there has been some movement in the right direction.

A National Planetary Health Strategy Could Help the 12th Malaysia Plan Make Lasting Systemic Change

The 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) was launched in October 2021 with some fanfare – and with good reason. The plan marks a change in the government’s approach. It focuses on three key themes: resetting the economy; strengthening security, wellbeing and inclusivity; and advancing sustainability.

Closing the Gap on Health-Related Climate Financing

Vulnerable communities need support for health systems as they adapt to climate change.

The Climate Crisis: No More Talk, It's Time for Action

Tan Sri Prof Dr Jemilah Mahmood is in a hurry, and for good reason, because there is really no time to waste. As professor and executive director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, established in August, her goal is on point: to create an urgency among Malaysians on the need to change and…

The Economy that Planetary Health Requires

As the pandemic subsides, the vision of a new era that would emphasize sustainability and equity has faded, and the global economy seems to be returning to business as usual. But planetary health, which includes our own, requires that we realize just such a vision.