"Man's attitude toward nature is today critically important simply because we have now acquired a fateful power to alter and destroy nature. But man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself? [We are] challenged as mankind has never been challenged before to prove our maturity and our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves."
— Rachel Carson on a CBS documentary about Silent Spring.
Dear Planetary Health Changemaker,
As we continue our 10th Anniversary celebrations, we’re thrilled to unveil a special gift to our community: the Planetary Health 10th Anniversary Campaign Toolkit! This comprehensive resource is packed with branded visuals, messaging guides, and digital assets to help you celebrate, reflect, and inspire action around our collective achievements.
This month, we’re especially proud to celebrate the next generation of Planetary Health leaders. We're thrilled to announce the winners of the inaugural Planetary Health Challenge 2025! Ezekiel P. Guanbie (Liberia), Amira Puji Hastuti (Indonesia), and Duaa Suliman (UAE) impressed the judges with their "MOZENA" project, an innovative, community-centered solution leveraging Indigenous knowledge of moringa seeds and zeolite for mercury filtration in Indonesia's Kapuas River. This global competition, focusing on freshwater solutions, showcased inspiring youth-led initiatives, with one finalist team proposing a community-led water waste regeneration blueprint and another developing a "Water Wise Communities" knowledge hub. The winning team will present their impactful work at PHAM 2025 in Rotterdam! Watch the finalists' presentations.
The Planetary Health Challenge was just one of several projects undertaken by PHA’s inaugural Next Gen Youth Council this year, with three members completing their terms this month while most will continue for a second year alongside new additions. We honor their leadership and contributions, including the development of the Planetary Health Club Guidelines to inspire students to grow communities of practice at their institutions and the creation of the Global Stories & Shared Earth: Lived Experiences in Planetary Health project to bring personal stories to the forefront.
Meanwhile, momentum across our global network continues to build. PHA is excited to co-host three transformative events in the coming months:
On May 28, in partnership with Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, we’ll launch the Sunway Charter: Faith in Action—a global call for faith communities to lead with compassion and justice toward planetary healing.
We’re also teaming up with We Are The Possible on June 2 for a pre-COP30 workshop exploring the intersection of arts and Planetary Health, featuring live illustration by Hamishibai and the opportunity to participate in co-creation and creative storytelling.
In collaboration with the Climate Change and Antimicrobial Resistance Network and Skating Panda, PHA will co-host a webinar on July 10 focused on the most effective strategies for communicating urgent, Planetary Health challenges.
Planetary Health Roadmap Updates
The Planetary Health Roadmap Working Groups are driving key efforts ahead of PHAM 2025 in Rotterdam. The Mainstreaming survey is now live—inviting organizations to share impactful initiatives for a new handbook and conference showcase. Cross-group coordination is strengthening alignment and messaging, while special projects like a shared glossary and a review of AI, technology, and innovation efforts across hubs are underway. Join us at PHAM 2025 where each group has a session to showcase their work and discuss how to continue the work.
In this newsletter, explore:
Research & Policy: Groundbreaking literature exploring the human health effects of shifts in Earth's natural systems caused by human activity
Events: Planetary Health conferences, webinars, and trainings
Read|Watch|Listen: Must-read articles, inspiring videos, and podcasts
Now is the moment for #PlanetaryHealth to shine—thank you for being part of this growing global community. Explore the full newsletter here with an expanded selection of recent resources, opportunities, and events.
Take Action
Global Planetary Health community:Register for PHAM 2025 to join the global conversation on how we can collectively address the pressing challenges facing our planet.
Submit your storyfor potential inclusion in the upcoming Planetary Health Handbook — a resource highlighting initiatives that have successfully mainstreamed Planetary Health principles into practice.
Help shape the global narrative around the Earth crisis. Apply to be the next Communications & Marketing Manager at the Planetary Health Alliance.
Next Generation Network: Register for the upcoming monthly call to explore the intersection of health, education, and sustainability.
PHA Members: Don't forget to sign up for the Member Community Call happening on Tuesday, May 27!
Join the Movement #PlanetaryHealth10: As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Planetary Health, we invite you to incorporate this milestone into your Planetary Health activities throughout 2025.
Y. Wu et al. (April 2025) estimated the global impact of increased greenness on heat-related mortality across 11,534 urban areas from 2000 to 2019 using a multistage meta-analytical approach. Their findings suggest that increasing greenness by up to 30% could significantly lower ambient temperatures and reduce up to 1.16 million heat-related deaths, with Southern Europe seeing the greatest benefit.
W. Li et al. (April 2025) assessed how climate change and socioeconomic factors influence antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by analyzing surveillance records from 101 countries. The results reveal widening AMR disparities between high-income and low- and middle-income countries under different shared socioeconomic pathway scenarios, which reflect varying trajectories of global development, inequality, and environmental stress. The study shows that sustainable development strategies—such as reducing out-of-pocket health expenses and expanding universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services—could reduce AMR prevalence by up to 5.1% by 2050.
A.L. Phelan et al. (April 2025) highlight how international law and global governance have historically treated environmental and human health as separate domains, hindering effective responses to interconnected global challenges. The authors argue for a synthesized approach—drawing from Planetary Health, One Health, and international human rights frameworks—to guide future legal and governance reforms that center equity, human rights, and intergenerational justice.
The Planetary Health Alliance invites your organization to submit your story for potential inclusion in the upcoming Planetary Health Handbook, a resource highlighting exemplary initiatives that have successfully integrated Planetary Health principles into their operations, networks, or communities. Selected examples may be featured at the Planetary Health Annual Meeting 2025 in Rotterdam (October 7-10), which will convene global leaders under the theme "Planetary Health for All and In All."
The Planetary Health Alliance is hiring a Marketing & Communications Manager to lead a multi-channel strategy that elevates the global Planetary Health narrative and amplifies the work of our vibrant community. This role offers a unique opportunity to help address some of society’s most urgent challenges — driving impact at the intersection of global environmental change and human health and well-being.
Applyby June 4, 2025. Hybrid role based in Washington, D.C.
The Planetary Health Alliance and the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health are hosting a virtual launch for the Sunway Charter: Faith in Action, a global movement calling on faith communities to lead with compassion and justice toward planetary healing. This event highlights the vital role of spiritual wisdom in driving sustainable, just, and caring action for the Earth.
The Planetary Health Alliance and We Are The Possible are hosting an interactive workshop on co-creating and communicating Planetary Health through the arts, featuring special guests Hamishibai, who will bring the event to life with live illustrations throughout.
This article explains how climate change is accelerating the spread of the deadly fungus Aspergillus, which infects millions each year and poses increasing risks to human health and food security. The author highlights the expanding geographical range of this fungus and warns of growing challenges due to limited treatments and rising drug resistance. Read.
The top three teams from The Planetary Health Challenge 2025 presented their projects to Planetary Health experts on April 23, 2025. Hosted by PHA, this global competition aimed to inspire innovative solutions addressing the impacts of destabilized natural systems on human health and all life on Earth, with a special focus on freshwater. Watch.
This podcast explores how the wellbeing economy concept can help address the urgent challenges of Planetary Health — covering topics such as Donut Economics, the historical challenges of extractive, mainstream economics, and finding hope from youth movements. Listen.
The "Promise of Planetary Health" video, a collaboration between PHA, World Wildlife Fund, and Harvard University Center for the Environment, tells the story of our role in transforming Earth's natural systems over time, framing its Planetary Health impacts and the urgent need for global regeneration, healing, and action.
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