Books

Healthy living on a healthy planet

Alexander Bassen / Jörg E. Drewes / Markus Fischer / Sabine Gabrysch / Anna-Katharina Hornidge / Karen Pittel / Hans-Otto Pörtner / Sabine Schlacke / Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann / Anke Weidenkaff
Books (2023)

WBGU – German Advisory Council on Global Change, Berlin: WBGU

ISBN: 978-3-946830-08-5

The vision of healthy living on a healthy planet focuses on the inseparability of human health and nature, and thus on an extended understanding of health. The World Health Organization’s comprehensive definition of human health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” is dependent on a ‘healthy’ Earth – with functioning, resilient and productive ecosystems and a stable climate. In essence, the goal is to explore and implement development paths that do justice to people and nature. It is about healthy lifestyles that simultaneously protect nature – about what we eat, how we move and where we live. It is about framework conditions that make these lifestyles possible. It is about preserving natural life-support systems (halting climate change, biodiversity loss and global pollution), preparing our health systems for the challenges ahead and harnessing their transformative potential. It is about education and science that can make the vision of healthy living on a healthy planet a reality. And finally, it is about reaching an agreement on this guiding principle at the international level, because without international cooperation, this vision cannot be achieved.

Lead authors: Alexander Bassen, Jörg E. Drewes, Markus Fischer, Sabine Gabrysch, Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Karen Pittel, Hans-Otto Pörtner, Sabine Schlacke, Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann, Anke Weidenkaff

Co-authors: Jennifer Bansard, Daniel Belling, Ruben Bischler, Daniel Buchholz, Kerstin Burghaus, Marcel Dorsch, Jonas Geschke, Lena Jakob-Ginzburg, Carmen Jochem, Ulrike Jürschik, Sebastian Karl, Yvonne Kunz, Sarah Löpelt, Carsten Loose, Oskar Masztalerz, Katharina Michael, Alexander Mitranescu, Katharina Molitor, Johannes Pfeiffer, Benno Pilardeaux, Hannah  Richter, Marion Schulte zu Berge, Astrid Schulz, Dominique Schüpfer, Christoph Schwaller, Jan Siegmeier, Angelika Veziridis