Are we facing more than just a climate crisis?

AWANI

Scientists caution that climate change is just one aspect of a larger environmental crisis threatening global health and stability, as explained by Maisarah Faiesall from the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health.

Transcript

00:00Scientists warn that climate change is just one part of a broader environmental crisis,

00:06with growing risks to global health and stability.

00:09Maizara Faizal, Head of Policy, Strategy and Advocacy in Sunway Centre for Planetary Health,

00:15tells us more about this.

00:18It's really easy to focus solely on climate change because it's such a pressing issue,

00:22and rightfully so, but what the commentary really intends to drive home

00:26is that it's just one piece of a much larger puzzle.

00:29And the full story here is really about the stability and resilience of the entire Earth system.

00:34So in other words, the planetary boundaries framework that's referred to in the commentary

00:38and how human activity is pushing it to its limit.

00:41So put simply, if you read the commentary, there are nine key processes that keep our planet stable.

00:46Climate change, of course, being one of them, but it also concerns about, for example,

00:49how land is being used, the levels of ocean acidification and novel entities like plastics or microplastics.

00:55And the scary part is that six of these nine identified boundaries that sustain human well-being on the planet

01:02have already been breached, meaning that we've gone beyond safe operating levels.

01:05So in addition to that, we also have issues like biodiversity loss and such.

01:09So the reality is that we want to make people see and understand that for each of these disruptions,

01:16individually and in combination for each of the planetary boundaries, it also affects human health

01:21and our health from infectious and zoonotic diseases, similar to COVID-19 as we know it,

01:26but also in terms of nutrition, like food that we get from the plants that we produce and such,

01:32as well as, of course, our mental health.

01:34So the full story is really not just about rising temperatures, it's about a systemic threat to our well-being,

01:41stemming from multiple environmental crises happening all at once as a result of our own actions

01:46and the ways that we've treated the planet that we depend on.

01:51My Sarah also highlighted it's not just about understanding the crisis,

01:54but the key matter is about how we respond.

01:57So what's interesting is that planetary health and planetary boundaries both are rooted in systems thinking

02:04and the need and urgency to break silos.

02:07So naturally, this alignment is meant to drive us to act more effectively,

02:11especially at a time when resources are constrained.

02:14I think maybe to summarize first, of course, this alignment between planetary boundaries and planetary health

02:19enables a more systematic and comprehensive understanding of health impacts.

02:23We used to look at climate change and health or pollution and health in isolation,

02:27now we can kind of conduct full health risk assessments for each planetary boundary.

02:32And this also includes assessing the risks of tipping points where changes become irreversible.

02:39And of course, secondly, it's about bridging gaps in the scientific community.

02:44For too long, also, Earth system scientists and health scientists often speak in different languages

02:48and maybe sometimes even use different metrics.

02:51So this integration kind of demands a common approach in translating these complex environmental data

02:57into clear health outcomes and vice versa.

02:59But central to this, I think, is the role of justice and equity that's also highlighted in the commentary.

03:05And it's pushing for safe and just boundaries that recognizes how the current planetary crisis

03:11disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations.

03:14And finally, I think, as mentioned earlier, and so important for policy is really making the invisible visible.

03:20What are maybe health co-benefits that we can get from protecting our planet,

03:24from investing in well-being economics and in urban planning, for example.

03:29So this alignment really provides a stronger evidence-based argument for policies that protect nature

03:35and how they're often the most cost-efficient solutions in the long run.

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