Safeguarding Human and Environmental Health
By Elisabeth P. Montgomery, Ph.D., Global Career Development Facilitator
President-Elect Asia Pacific Career Development Association
Researching the lives and careers of Planetary Health Specialists took me to the cutting edge of a growing field that links human health and environmental sustainability. As ecosystems degrade due to climate change, pollution, deforestation, and biodiversity loss, these professionals work to understand how environmental changes directly affect public health. Here’s a powerful insight from Planetary Health: Protecting Nature to Protect Ourselves by Samuel Meyers and Howard Frumkin.
“It is not just climate change; it is everything change!”
The transdisciplinary nature of Planetary Health Specialist work brings together the human skills we need to develop to solve planetary problems. They collaborate across disciplines to design policies and interventions that mitigate the health impacts of environmental degradation. This emerging career is essential as we increasingly realize that the well-being of people and the planet are intricately connected. Planetary Health Specialists play a crucial role in building a sustainable future that prioritizes both ecological integrity and human health.
Introduction (Why It Matters):
The concept of planetary health highlights a fundamental truth: human health depends on the health of our planet. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we consume, and the climate we live in all come from our surrounding ecosystems. However, with only 200 years rapid industrialization, deforestation, pollution, and climate change, these systems are breaking down, leading to new and growing public health threats. Planetary Health Specialists focus on understanding how these environmental changes—such as rising temperatures, shrinking biodiversity, and pollution—are influencing health outcomes, from the spread of infectious diseases to chronic respiratory conditions. By identifying these linked system dynamics, Planetary Health Specialists drive policies and actions that protect both human health and environmental sustainability.
Career Overview (What They Do):
One of the main tasks of Planetary Health Specialists is to analyze the complex relationships between human well-being and ecosystem health, working in a multidisciplinary role that combines public health, environmental science, policy-making, and research. Their day-to-day activities often involve conducting research on how environmental changes—such as habitat destruction or pollution—are affecting disease patterns, nutrition, and mental health. They work with governments, NGOs, and international bodies to develop policies that address both environmental conservation and public health. These roles are generally in academia, biomedical companies, and higher level. However, the work is also on the ground with microbe research, endangered species, and habit preservation to prevent both human and animal health crisis.
Career Outlook and Opportunities:
Job Growth: The current demand and outlook for professionals in the field and the sectors is outstanding. Hirings include a wide range of jobs and tasks needed:
- Microbial Bioenergy Engineer to transform the world’s industry and infrastructure and lead toward responsible consumption and production by re-modeling energy grids and storage systems that must be built to accommodate bioenergy sources.
Planetary Health Program Coordinator overseeing projects that address environmental and health challenges, such as climate adaptation programs, sustainable Health agriculture, or clean water initiatives.
Health and Environmental Policy Advocates work with governments, international agencies, and communities to draft, advocate, and implement policies that protect both human health and the environment.
Environmental Health Educator teaches local populations how environmental degradation affects health and implementing solutions like proper waste disposal, water sanitation, and pollution control.
Climate Resilience Specialist can be seen in with communities to develop resilience strategies against climate-related health risks like floods, droughts, or vector-borne diseases.
Biodiversity and Conservation Officer implements conservation projects that protect biodiversity while considering the health benefits of ecosystems, such as cleaner air and water.
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Specialist leads initiatives that improve access to clean water and sanitation, essential for preventing waterborne diseases and improving public health.
Agricultural and Nutrition Specialist – Promotes sustainable farming practices that protect the environment and improve community health by reducing malnutrition and food insecurity
Community Health Worker with Environmental Focus provide on-the-ground health services while educating the community about environmental factors that influence health, like clean energy or deforestation.
Salary Ranges: Include salary ranges for various roles within the career field, from entry-level positions to senior roles.
For example, Planetary health specialists in micro- biology, such as geoscientists require a Master’s degree can make between 78,900 – 98,000 per year. Typically work in field studies and offices, visiting locations and collecting sample for surveys. They might use aerial and geologic maps photographs to analyze a region, experiment with rock samples, and make estimates of size and effect of samples in laboratory work and prepare reports for a variety of audience including colleagues and clients. Government health workers in sanitation and rescue systems can range from $58,000 to $65,000. Community rescue and health workers will receive between $49,000 – 54,000. Those “frontline” workers engaged directly with nature on all levels including park rangers, and habitat savers may earn $35,000 in the fieldwork, and up to $90,000 for administration and coordination of outstanding efforts in groups such as the World Wildlife Foundation.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Environmental Scientists and Specialists.
Key Responsibilities:
Planetary Health Specialists play a crucial role in planetary restoration by highlighting the connection between human health and environmental sustainability. By providing scientific evidence on how environmental degradation directly affects public health, they help shape policies that not only aim to restore ecosystems but also improve health outcomes for communities. Their work is fundamental to the broader environmental movement, as it ties ecosystem restoration efforts to tangible human benefits, such as reducing the spread of infectious diseases or improving food security.
Example Project: A Planetary Health Specialist might work on assessing the impact of air pollution in urban areas on respiratory health. They would collaborate with epidemiologists, ecologists, and policymakers to reduce pollution levels and advocate for cleaner energy solutions. Another example could involve examining how deforestation in tropical regions contributes to the emergence of zoonotic diseases (diseases that spread from animals to humans) and developing strategies to mitigate these risks through forest conservation.
Conducting risk assessments and planning interventions in response to ecological disruptions. Case studies in researching how environmental degradation impacts human health after man-made disasters such as oil spills, toxic railroad and hazardous waste spills, and many other disasters include planetary health specialist to collaborate with experts in public health, ecology, climate science, and policy. Developing and advocating for policies that promote environmental conservation and reduce health risks to the public after disasters includes educating the public and decision-makers on the interconnections between planetary health and human health.
Impact on Planetary Restoration (How They Make a Difference):
Planetary Health Equity (PHE) is the sustainable and equitable goal that promotes enjoyment of the environment and good health. PHE is a concept that recognizes the impact of climate change on social and health inequities. It also recognizes the importance for health equity of considering planetary systems – if we don’t have a functioning Earth system, we have social disruption and risks to human survival and good health. Planetary health inequity therefore embodies the common drivers of climate change and health inequity.
Case Study/Success Story: A significant success in the field of planetary health is the international collaboration to combat the health impacts of climate change. For example, the Lancet Countdown tracks the effects of climate change on health and works with governments worldwide to reduce carbon emissions while improving health outcomes. In countries where air pollution is a major health issue, Planetary Health Specialists have been instrumental in pushing for stricter air quality regulations, which simultaneously protect public health and restore environmental quality.
Planetary Health Specialists contribute to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-Being and SDG 13 – Climate Action, reinforcing that addressing environmental degradation is vital to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.
Challenges and Future Outlook (What’s Ahead):
Challenges: Interdisciplinary Complexity. One of the biggest challenges facing Planetary Health Specialists is the need for collaboration across diverse disciplines such as medicine, ecology, and environmental science. Bringing these fields together to develop cohesive solutions requires navigating different perspectives, priorities, and expertise.
Policy Barriers: Policy-making at the intersection of health and the environment is often slow, and political barriers can prevent the implementation of necessary changes. Planetary Health Specialists must advocate for long-term strategies in a political climate that often favors short-term gains.
Data Gaps: Understanding the full extent of how environmental degradation affects human health is still a growing field, and there are significant gaps in data, particularly in low-income regions where environmental damage and public health challenges are most acute.
The climate-health link has been the target of more research in recent years and it is also receiving increasing attention from the public and in both public health and climate communication literature. However, the health framing of climate change information is still underused in climate communications, and researchers suggest we should be doing more to make the link between human health and climate change more explicit to increase engagement with the climate crisis.
The health “framing” of climate communication also has implications for healthcare professionals and policy-makers, as these actors could play a key part in climate communication, adaptation and mitigation. These key stakeholders’ perspectives on the climate-health link, as well as their perceived role in climate adaptation and mitigation could be explored, since research suggests that health professionals are important voices in climate communications and especially since, ultimately, these adverse health outcomes puts enormous pressure on and cost to our health systems and health workers. Health effects of climate change: an overview of systematic reviews – PMC (nih.gov) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8191619/#R2
Future Outlook: The role of Planetary Health Specialists will become increasingly important as climate change accelerates and environmental challenges like pollution, biodiversity loss, and water scarcity become more urgent. With growing recognition of the need for a sustainable, health-centered approach to environmental issues, this field is expected to expand. Future trends include the development of more sophisticated tools for tracking the health impacts of climate change, improving early warning systems for health threats related to environmental degradation, and stronger global collaborations on health and environmental policies.
Final Thoughts/Call to Action (Why It’s Important):
Planetary Health Specialists are essential to the future of both human and environmental health. They bridge the gap between public health and environmental sustainability, working to ensure that future generations inherit a planet capable of supporting healthy lives. By addressing the root causes of environmental degradation and promoting holistic approaches to health and sustainability, they are contributing to a more resilient and healthier future.
Call to Action:
If you’re passionate about both human health and the environment, the career of a Planetary Health Specialist offers a unique opportunity to make a meaningful difference. As the field grows, there are increasing opportunities to get involved in research, policymaking, and advocacy. By studying environmental science, public health, or a related field, and gaining interdisciplinary experience, you can help safeguard both human health and the planet’s ecosystems. Explore internships, global health initiatives, and educational programs to start your journey toward becoming a Planetary Health Specialist.
Recommended Reading:
Samuel Meyers and Howard Frumkin (2021) Planetary Health – Protecting Nature to Protect Ourselves, Island Press.
Bertil Lindmark (2021), The Amazing Biological Revolution and The Amazing New Health Care, LMC publishers. ISBN 10: 1914264053 / ISBN 13: 978191426405
Trade Organizations:
Institute for Planetary Health (jhu.edu)
World Wildlife Federation: Our Work | Conserving Natural Resources | WWF (www.worldwildlife.org)
Lancet Countdown: Our Indicators – Lancet Countdown
Stay tuned for the upcoming article in our series on the Planetary Restoration Workforce: #5 Climate Resilience Specialist – Strengthening Communities and Ecosystems Against Climate Change.
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