About
About the Rockefeller Foundation Economic Council on Planetary Health at the Oxford Martin School
The Rockefeller Foundation Economic Council on Planetary Health was set up to investigate the economic and policy case for planetary health – a new multi-disciplinary approach that brings together human and ecosystem science, public health, economics and policy with the aim to safeguard the health of future generations.
The Rockefeller Foundation is a leader in public health and has made pioneering contributions to the development of the field. The Oxford Martin School is a centre of excellence in multi-disciplinary research that tackles some of the world’s biggest challenges. Together, they have joined forces to build the new and emerging field of planetary health.
The Rockefeller Foundation Economic Council on Planetary Health at the Oxford Martin School was established on 1 June 2017 to further define the discipline of planetary health. The Council – made up of world leaders from business, government, international organizations, civil society and academia – is mandated to explore the economic link between human health and well-being and the earth’s natural systems on which health depends. By the end of 2019, it will recommend actionable public policy on this linkage.
“When we compromise the environment, we compromise human health. It is a fascinating paradox: 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 Zedillo
Former president of Mexico and Chair of The Rockefeller Foundation Economic Council on Planetary Health
Developing the field of planetary health
The Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on Planetary Health took the first step in establishing the scientific basis for the field. The commission’s 2015 report, Safeguarding Human Health in the Anthropocene Epoch, defined planetary health as the “health of human civilization and the state of the natural system on which it depends”.
The report outlines how we have exploited the planet’s resources for our own gains. Our current trajectory will accelerate environmental degradation, and cause ever more damage to human health as a result. To safeguard human health, the planet’s health must be preserved.
Souce: Safeguarding Human Health in the Anthropocene Epoch: Report of The Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on Planetary Health. (View full infographic)
The Rockefeller Foundation Economic Council on Planetary Health will focus on the economic and policy solutions to achieving planetary health for human health and well-being. It will also identify policies, instruments and incentives that can modify human behaviour for planetary health, drawing on the research and economic expertise of the Council and others.
Generating interest and community in different parts of the world will be key to ensuring planetary health has a truly global reach.
“The Oxford Martin School works to find solutions to urgent global challenges through scientific and intellectual discovery, and to translate them into action by working with governments, business, NGOs and civil society. This mission will guide our work as host to The Rockefeller Economic Council on Planetary Health.”
About the Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation has a legacy of trailblazing new fields. It counts founding the modern field of public health, eradicating and developing vaccines for diseases such as yellow fever and malaria, and catalysing a Green Revolution as some of its greatest achievements of the 20th century. Investing in planetary health is among its current priorities for the 21st century.
The Rockefeller Foundation’s investments in planetary health are dedicated to the new multi-disciplinary field, and finding solutions to health risks posed by poor stewardship of the planet. Through advocacy, partnership and awareness raising, its Planetary Health Initiative seeks to influence both international and national approaches to health, and to create policy change that better balances human advancement with environmental and biodiversity sustainability.
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 well-being of this and future generations. Underpinning all its 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.
The Rockefeller Foundation Economic Council on Planetary Health is hosted at the Oxford Martin. The school acts as a global thought leader in the new and emerging field of planetary health, supporting that field through the strength of its networks, broad knowledge base and community of practice.