Governance for planetary health equity-the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse project

Area of Science:

• Interdisciplinary research integrating political economy, public health, policy studies, and systems science.
• Focus on the global consumptogenic system and its impact on planetary health equity.
• Analysis of climate change, social inequities, and health outcomes.

Background:

• Planetary health equity (PHE) is defined as equitable health within a stable Earth system.
• PHE is currently facing a crisis driven by human-made climate change.
• Climate change exacerbates existing health inequities, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups and low-income countries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To understand the reasons behind the lack of effective action on PHE.
• To identify conditions enabling coherent governance for improved PHE outcomes.
• To explore strategies for overcoming failures in addressing the PHE crisis.

Main Methods:

• Drawing on emerging research from the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse.
• Utilizing network analysis to examine the global PHE governance architecture.
• Developing and applying a Planetary Health Equity Impact Assessment tool.

Main Results:

• The global consumptogenic system is central to the PHE crisis.
• PHE governance is highly centralized and dominated by economic organizations.
• National climate mitigation policies often overlook social and health equity considerations.

Conclusions:

• Effective governance must integrate health, social equity, and environmental considerations.
• Strategies are provided for various actors to transform the consumptogenic system.
• Shifting institutional norms towards fairness, sustainability, and well-being is crucial for advancing PHE.