In 1948, the World Health 颅Organization defined health as 鈥渁 state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.鈥�
I find it a good and simple definition. One of its strengths is that it fully recognises both 颅mental and social well-being, with the latter inevitably 颅bringing in our relationships with others 鈥� our families, 颅communities and society as a whole.
However, I would make an important change by adding environmental well-being.
One aspect of environmental well-being is having a healthy local environment 鈥� clean air, water and soil and a healthy built environment. The other aspect is ecological well-being, something that was not so 颅apparent 70 years ago. But today, we recognise that our health is dependent ultimately on the well-functioning of the Earth鈥檚 natural systems. No health without planetary health, we might say.
And yet, that simple concept seems to elude most of our political and corporate elite, and millions of our fellow citizens. We act as if we can continue to exploit and pollute the Earth beyond its ability to withstand such harm, without consequence for us.
But I have been heartened in recent weeks by a number of examples showing a strong 颅interest in health and 颅well-being as a motivating and driving force for positive change. For example, I sit on the Planning Committee for the Atlantic 颅Summer Institute, an annual summer school on P.E.I. focused on the mental well-being of infants, children and youth. This year鈥檚 theme is The Great Reconnect, and is focused on how we help young people form strong connections with their families, each other, their schools and communities, and with nature.
I have also been involved in discussions about a number of local activities that all, at their roots, are about 颅improving human and planetary 颅well-being. One local group, brought together by Steve 颅Woolrich of Rethink Urban (and an 颅occasional fellow columnist), is discussing how to address 颅community safety and well-being in a humane and compassionate way. Another group is looking at how to create more livable, sustainable and healthy urban environments through creating 鈥済entle density.鈥�
This concept, championed by Vancouver-based urban planner Brent Toderian, is about 鈥渄ensity done well.鈥� In a 2013 article, he noted that density isn鈥檛 just a downtown thing, but includes 鈥渁rtfully adding to the inner city beyond the downtown, and building smarter suburbs that are more mixed, compact, walkable, and transit friendly.鈥�
His long list of benefits ends with 鈥渋mproving public health, diversity, creativity, safety and vibrancy.鈥�
Finally, this past week, I was also able to participate in the online annual conference of the Planetary Health Alliance in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The alliance grew out of the 2015 report of the Lancet-Rockefeller 颅Commission on Planetary Health, which established this new field of work. Planetary health is 颅understood by the alliance as 鈥渇ocused on characterizing the human health impacts of human-caused disruptions of Earth鈥檚 natural systems.鈥� Given that, you might have expected a strong focus on science and data about health and ecology.
So you would, perhaps, have been surprised by the focus of the opening session, which was all about the values needed to take us to and through the Great Transition to a world 鈥渨here all people thrive by protecting and regenerating Earth鈥檚 natural 颅systems for generations to come.鈥�
The keynote speaker was Robin Wall Kimmerer, a 颅professor of environmental and forest biology at the State University of New York and an Indigenous woman. She talked movingly about the wisdom of both Indigenous and scientific knowledge for achieving our shared goals, stressing that 颅鈥渟ustainability is not about 颅looking for ways to go on taking,鈥� but that we need to listen to what the Earth asks of us.
She was followed by speakers on Indigenous values, Earth 颅ethics, religion and the Buddhist-rooted Bhutanese concept of measuring and being guided by Gross National Happiness. Embedded in many of their presentations was the need for a value shift that leads us to reject the current economic system and move to a new well-being economy.
Ultimately, societies, 颅governments, businesses and communities have to focus on well-being 鈥� why else would they exist? Happily, in many ways and places, the 颅conversation is starting, the move to a focus on creating 颅well-being is underway.
Dr. Trevor Hancock is a retired professor and senior scholar at the University of Victoria鈥檚 School of Public Health and Social Policy.
