Planetary and human health: planetary boundaries, climate change, and disaster risk reduction

 

Module Aims: This module introduces the concept of planetary health. Participants will develop an understanding of key issues including climate change, disaster risk reduction and planetary boundaries. The module will be focused on how science can inform public policy in these areas. These issues are relevant in contexts all across the world. They will be particularly important for those pursuing careers in evidence based public health and policy making.

 

Module Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

1. Explain planetary health, sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals
2. Debate the planetary boundaries approach to understanding environmental issues
3. Discuss how food systems, air pollution, water pollution and climate change affect health
4. Appraise how action to address climate change can affect health and the role of health services in addressing climate change
5. Demonstrate an understanding of disaster risk reduction, and the skills required to successfully reduce risk
6. Describe how planetary health issues are related to social justice and wider social issues

 

Pre-requisites: Principles of Public Health

 

Teaching Strategy:

A mixture of taught sessions and participatory exercises.

Personal reflective log considering own role in relation to planetary health issues, with daily exercises to undertake. These will inform part of the assessment

 

Assessment:

Structured 2-part written assessment

 

Part 1: Structured written piece linking epidemiology to global policy and short analysis of a potential future policy intervention. As well as assessing detailed knowledge of one of the topics covered in the module, students will be expected to ground their analysis in an understanding of the broader context of planetary health and demonstrate knowledge of how their chosen action will interact with other environmental and social issues. Students can select from any of the topics covered in the module related to the following learning outcomes:

* discuss how food systems, air pollution, water pollution and climate change affect health

* appraise how action to address climate change can affect health and the role of health services in addressing climate change

* demonstrate an understanding of disaster risk reduction, and the skills required to successfully reduce risk

1000 words (2/3 module grade)

 

Part 2: Reflective writing, based on personal reflective log kept during the module,  relating personal learning and values to content of the module. Students will be expected to consider their learning in relation to the following learning outcomes:

* explain planetary health, sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals

* debate the planetary boundaries approach to understanding environmental issues

* describe how planetary health issues are related to social justice and wider social issues outcomes.

500 words (1/3 module grade)

 

Module Length: 4 days