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Beyond Science and Technology: Creating Planetary Health Needs Not Just ‘Head Stuff’, but Social Engagement and ‘Heart, Gut and Spirit’ Stuff

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  • Trevor Hancock

    (School of Public Health and Social Policy, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada)

Abstract

I have been involved in studying and working within what is now called the Anthropocene for almost 50 years, and in all that time, not only have we failed to make much progress, but the state of the Earth’s ecosystems has generally worsened. Yet somehow we must create a world in which everyone on Earth has good health and a good quality of life—a matter of social justice—while living within the physical and ecological constraints of the one small planet that is our home; this is the focus of the new field of planetary health. Our worsening situation is not due to lack of knowledge, science and technology; in broad terms, we knew most of the challenges and many of the needed solutions back in the 1970s. Instead, the challenges we face are social, rooted in cultural values, political ideologies, legal and economic systems, ethical principles and spiritual/religious beliefs. Therefore, we have to move beyond science and technology and address these broader socio-cultural issues by engaging in economic, legal and political work, complementing and supplementing ‘head stuff’ with ‘heart, gut and spirit stuff’, and working from the grass roots up.

Suggested Citation

  • Trevor Hancock, 2019. "Beyond Science and Technology: Creating Planetary Health Needs Not Just ‘Head Stuff’, but Social Engagement and ‘Heart, Gut and Spirit’ Stuff," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-28, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jchals:v:10:y:2019:i:1:p:31-:d:239901
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David Woodward, 2015. "Incrementum ad Absurdum: Global Growth, Inequality and Poverty Eradication in a Carbon-Constrained World," World Economic Review, World Economics Association, vol. 2015(4), pages 1-43, February.
    2. Graham M Turner, 2008. "A Comparison of the Limits to Growth with Thirty Years of Reality," Socio-Economics and the Environment in Discussion (SEED) Working Paper Series 2008-09, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems.
    3. Ken Caldeira & Michael E. Wickett, 2003. "Anthropogenic carbon and ocean pH," Nature, Nature, vol. 425(6956), pages 365-365, September.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Lauriane Suyin Chalmin-Pui & Alistair Griffiths & Jenny J. Roe & Ross W. F. Cameron, 2019. "Bringing Fronts Back: A Research Agenda to Investigate the Health and Well-Being Impacts of Front Gardens," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-11, September.

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