Planetary Health

Catalog description

Degradation of the environment through climate change, pollution, land use shifts, and more can impact human health in myriad ways. Food access and nutrition, infectious diseases, chronic diseases, mental health, and the impacts of migration and conflict are increasingly being tied to these environmental changes. The Planetary Health course will introduce students to the anthropogenic threats to human health, examine the pathways from environmental change to human health, and design and analyze interventions to improve both human and environmental health. Using systems and interdisciplinary perspectives, we will explore the interconnected challenges of providing for human and ecosystem health in case studies. We will also evaluate possible solutions to planetary health problems and their implications for equity, human health, and environmental health.