Frequently Asked Questions

Arabic: صحة الكواكب

Catalan: Salut Planetària

Chinese: 星球健康

English: Planetary Health

Finnish: Planetaarinen te

French: Santé Planetaire

German: Planetare Gesundheit

Gujarati: Graha Ni Tabhat

Hebrew: בריאות פלנטרית

Hindi: Graho Ka Svaasth

Italian: Salute planetari

Japanese: 惑星の健康  プラネタリーヘルス

Malay: Kesihatan Planet

Melanesian Pidgin: Helt blong plane

Portuguese: Saúde Planetária

Russian: Планетарное здоровье

Serbian/Croatian: Planetarno zdravlje

Spanish: Salud Planetaria

There are a number of opportunities to study Planetary Health at the undergraduate through graduate levels, which can be explored via our Global Inventory of Planetary Health Educational Opportunities. Please note, new programs and opportunities are developing all the time and our database is not comprehensive. Please check with your local universities for their offerings in Planetary Health.

In addition to formal courses, there are many ways you can become familiar with Planetary Health science, language, and actions. You may learn more about current PHA education projects, peruse introductory Planetary Health materials, and more on our website. Additionally, you may have a role to play in bringing Planetary Health to your University. Explore our Planetary Health Campus Ambassador program!

The Great Transition (also known as the Great Turning) is a fundamental shift in how we live, including how we produce and consume food, energy, and manufactured goods; how we construct and live in our cities; how we consider and measure growth, progress and development; and how we govern ourselves. The Great Transition also involves an evolution in how we understand our relationship with Nature and with each other, including what makes us happy. It will require a transition to a new set of values that incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion of all people as well as respect and recognition that the health of people is dependent on and interconnected with Nature. There is not a single or universal definition for the Great Transition.

PHA recognizes that these fields overlap in relation to theories used, methods of practice, scale of challenges addressed, stakeholders and disciplines involved, types of questions asked, and types of solutions proposed. One of the unique aspects of Planetary Health is that it looks across a broad array of human-caused biophysical changes—including climate change, biodiversity loss, land use and cover change, marine degradation, resource scarcity, and pollution—to develop a holistic understanding of their interconnected effects on the health and well-being of humans and all living creatures. Additionally, Planetary Health explicitly recognizes social justice as central to its mission and embraces all sectors of society in finding solutions, from economics and engineering to arts and humanities.

As shown in this image resource, climate and health focuses on the many ways a changing climate impacts human health. One Health has historically highlighted the ways that environmental change has increased the spread of zoonotic disease.

Each field brings many important perspectives and knowledge to our common challenges and only by working together will we be able to reach our aspirational goals.

The Planetary Health Alliance (PHA) was founded in 2015 based on recommendations from the Rockefeller-Lancet Commission on Planetary Health. Through our global member community, PHA brings Planetary Health science, stories, and solutions to the most pressing issues of our time. At its core, PHA curates and disseminates the latest Planetary Health research and knowledge, creates and curates educational resources, builds and fosters the Planetary Health community, and mainstreams Planetary Health information and solutions to the general public, private sector, and policy makers.

Learn more

The Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health is comprised of a dedicated group of faculty, students, and staff  from all divisions of Johns Hopkins University who are committed to working across disciplines to address the urgency of the Earth crisis and its impacts on humanity. The Institute and the Alliance are closely aligned. Planetary Health scholarship and informed policy and practice case studies move from the Institute out to the global community through the Alliance, while real world challenges and success stories flow back to the Institute.

We encourage you to browse our website to learn more about membership and our initiatives. We also encourage you to review declarations and pledges that specify how you can be a part of this growing movement.

Get involved

Yes! We welcome translations to make our content globally accessible. Please contact us first to discuss permissions and requirements. All translations must include required disclaimers. For detailed translation guidelines, see our Policies page.

Please feel free to reach out to the PHA team. We’re happy to engage with you on this Planetary Health journey!