A Planetary Health Approach to Study Links Between Pollution and Human Health

Abstract

The purpose of this review is to provide an understanding of the links between pollution and human health, pollution and planetary health, and planetary health and human health from the perspective of the anthropogenic activities that have had the most significant impact on these relationships including food pollution, transportation, and electricity production-related pollution, consumerism-related pollution, and agriculture-related pollution. The literature tells us that most pollution is being driven by anthropogenic activities used to sustain our species, our economies, and our consumption-based lifestyles. These activities and their subsequent pollution are driving at least eight of the nine planetary boundaries and are having profound impacts on both human and planetary health to the peril of the survival of many species including our own. Given that the two core planetary boundaries, climate change and biodiversity loss, have been crossed, and that the IPCC 2018 report calls for emissions reductions of 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching net zero around 2050 to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, it would seem that avoiding catastrophe and meeting the basic needs of the global populace will require nothing less than a rapid reduction of fossil hydrocarbon use in addition to a drastic reduction in ruminant meat consumption. Further research is needed, however, the urgency of the current planetary state requires action and, therefore, applied and outcomes research of initiatives that address these issues.