Planetary Health: Global Systems, Climate, and Public Health

The planet is facing multiple crises. Recently, we’ve seen the hottest years in history, wildfires sweeping across continents, record levels of food insecurity, escalating biodiversity loss, and a widening gap between the rich and poor. 

How can we reverse these alarming trends?

Human health and the health of our planet are inextricably linked. Human health and thriving communities depend on planetary health, flourishing natural systems, and the wise stewardship of natural resources.

Join our panel session with Sharon Friel, Michael Thomson, Elna Tulus, and Jason Prior, who’ll discuss the interconnection between global systems and the public’s health and how we can move forward to a better future for people and the planet.

Our Speakers:

Prof. Sharon Friel is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, Professor of Health Equity, and Director of the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse and Australian Research Centre for Health Equity at ANU. Her work focuses on governance of the planetary, social, and commercial determinants of health inequities. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences of Australia and the Academy of Health and Medical Sciences of Australia.

 

Prof. Michael Thomson is a Professor of Health Law at UTS and the University of Leeds. At UTS he is the Director of the faculty’s research centre: Law Health Justice. His research spans health law, young people’s rights, and legal and political theory. His current work concerns health inequalities and the role of law in promoting health justice. 

 

 

Elna Tulus is a PhD candidate at the UTS Faculty of Health. Her research on the sustainability of the global food system questions its consequences on public health. Using the case study on Australian wheat and Indonesian instant noodles, she investigates how the transformation of food production has resulted in a change in dietary patterns towards ultra-processed food, which has resulted in a rise in non-communicable diseases. 

 

Prof. Jason Prior is a Professor of Planning, Health, and Environment at the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures. He is a recognised expert in research at the nexus of the environment, planning, and human and planetary health. Jason is also the lead of the Healthy Populations and Environments Platform in the Sydney Partnership for Health, Education, Research, and Enterprise. 

 

This event is jointly hosted by the UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion and Law Health Justice at the Faculty of Law.