Frontpage - Rockefeller Foundation Economic Council on Planetary Health

The Rockefeller Foundation Economic Council on Planetary Health

at the Oxford Martin School

Making the economic and policy case for the emerging field of planetary health

The health of humanity depends on the health of our planet. Our future depends on strengthening both.

Thanks to advancements in technology, industry, agriculture and public health, we are living longer and more prosperous lives than ever before. But this progress has been accompanied by unprecedented environmental challenges – from climate change and biodiversity loss, to soil degradation and water scarcity – that threaten the health of our planet. When natural systems suffer, so does the health of individuals, families and communities.

To reverse this trend, The Rockefeller Foundation and the Oxford Martin School are actively working to grow the field of planetary health to address the urgent need to safeguard the health of future generations. Planetary health is a new, multi-disciplinary approach to health and well-being that brings together scientific knowledge of both human and ecosystem health with what we know about economic trends, market behaviour and policy-making.

This approach supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Change Agreement, both of which recognize the importance of regional and global coordination to solve complex environmental and development challenges.

The Rockefeller Foundation Economic Council on Planetary Health launched in 2017 with the aim of making the economic and policy case for planetary health, and the link between human health and well-being, and the natural systems on which it depends.

The Council – made up of world leaders from business, government, international organizations, civil society and academia – will bridge knowledge gaps on the links between economic development, natural systems and human health to compel collaboration across disciplines and coordinated action to address the complex challenges of the 21st century.

The very economic growth that allowed human health to improve and people to live longer is actually harming our physical well-being. We need to turn this around, and we can. I firmly believe that prosperity and good health should go hand-in-hand, and the Council will chart a course for doing so, mindful that we have only one earth.

Ernesto ZedilloFormer president of Mexico (1994-2000) and Chair of The Rockefeller Foundation Economic Council on Planetary Health

About The Rockefeller Foundation

For more than 100 years, The Rockefeller Foundation’s mission has been to promote the well-being of humanity throughout the world. Today, The Rockefeller Foundation pursues this mission through dual goals: advancing inclusive economies that expand opportunities for more broadly shared prosperity, and building resilience by helping people, communities and institutions prepare for, withstand, and emerge stronger from acute shocks and chronic stresses. To achieve these goals, The Rockefeller Foundation works at the intersection of four focus areas—advance health, revalue ecosystems, secure livelihoods, and transform cities—to address the root causes of emerging challenges and create systemic change. Together with partners and grantees, The Rockefeller Foundation strives to catalyze and scale transformative innovations, create unlikely partnerships that span sectors, and take risks others cannot—or will not.

About the Oxford Martin School

The Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford is a world-leading centre of pioneering research that addresses global challenges. It invests in research that cuts across disciplines to tackle a wide range of issues such as climate change, disease and inequality. The School supports novel, high risk and multidisciplinary projects that may not fit within conventional funding channels, because breaking boundaries can produce results that could dramatically improve the wellbeing of this and future generations. Underpinning all our research is the need to translate academic excellence into impact – from innovations in science, medicine and technology, through to providing expert advice and policy recommendations.