This document discusses the interconnectedness of planetary and public health. It provides examples of negative feedback loops between environmental issues like ocean acidification, loss of habitats, and climate change that exacerbate one another. These issues in turn impact public health by reducing food supply, increasing conflicts over resources, and causing climate refugees. The document advocates thinking globally and acting locally to address these challenges. It offers examples of local initiatives that promote renewable energy, active transportation, urban agriculture, and green spaces to improve health and the environment.

1. Professor John Middleton, President, United
Kingdom Faculty of Public Health
President@fph.org.uk
From Planetary to public: thinking globally, acting
locally, to improve the public’s health

3. Rockefeller Lancet
Planetary Health
commission

7. Interconnectedness:
Negative feedback loops
 Acidification of the oceans - Reducing oxygen supply by Algae
 Reducing fish supply by destroying natural habits
 Loss of the ice caps- reducing reflection of UV light adding to global warming
 Sea level rise reducing freshwater environments for fish and agriculture
 Warming of Arctic Tundra liberating CO2 and NH4, increasing global warming
 Petroleum products and food production, feeding human grade cereals to animals, adding to climate
change
 Loss of pollinators through pollution, pesticides and loss of water
 Carbon footprint of military conflict barely acknowledged
 Aviation fuel and marine fuel not included in the Paris agreement
 Land grabs by multinationals and by super powers in Africa evicting people from their land and creating
enforced migration

8. Interconnectedness : acidifying Oceans kills the Coccolithophore
(diatom) producer of 50% of the world’s oxygen – multiplying global
warming

9. Interconnectness: Loss of agricultural land through global warming, crop failure, food riots,
Arab Spring, Syrian war

10. Interconnectedness:
conflict over natural
resources: oil, water

11. Interconnectness:
Climate change
refugees

12. Interconnectness
: environmentally
sound
development
good for jobs and
‘growth free’
prosperity

13. http://www.campaigncc.org/sites/data/files/
Docs/one_million_climate_jobs_2014.pdf
Thinking globally, acting nationally:
Climate change as an economic
opportunity

14. ‘Protecting
resources from one
generation to the
next’
Thinking globally, acting
nationally- The Welsh
Wellbeing of Future
Generations Act, 2015

15. Thinking globally, acting nationally:
The UK Faculty of Public Health
Manifesto for Health ‘Start well, live
better’ Active travel and climate
change policy asks
Invest in active transport to
promote good health and reduce our
impact on climate change
Implement a cross national
approach to meet climate change
targets, including a rapid move to a
100% renewables and a zero carbon
energy system

16. Thinking Globally,
acting locally
Community led
Active travel, walking
and cycling in
Sandwell, UK

17. Thinking
globally,
acting locally:
Options for life
timber-frame,
self-built
community
centre
Sandwell, UK

18. Thinking global, acting
local
Urban agriculture in
Sandwell, UK
A beacon for food
growing, jobs and skills
creation and
environmental protection

19. Thinking globally,
acting locally:
Coventry and
Warwickshire
University
Hospitals Jubilee
Nature Reserve –
managing water
run off from
hospital car parks -
promoting
biodiversity, saving
money

20. Thinking globally, acting locally:
‘Saving lives with Solar’, Royal North
Midlands Hospitals, Stoke

21. Thank you
Professor John Middleton
Faculty of Public Health
president@fph.org.uk

22. • Middleton J, ISIS, crop failure and no anti-biotics:
what training will we need for future public health?
European J Public Health 2016;
https://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/content/26/5/73
5
• Middleton J. Public health in England in 2016—the
health of the public and the public health system: a
review Br Med Bull (2017) 1-16. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldw054 and
http://academic.oup.com//bmb/article/doi/10.1093
/bmb/ldw054/2871226/Public-health-in-England-in-
2016the-health-of-the?guestAccessKey=8f7a33a1-
bdbf-4db4-948c-fd6b6293a259