Establishing a community for planetary health in the Philippines
Authors: Renzo R Guinto, Marilen Parungao-Balolong, Ronilo Jose D Flores, Marianne K Bongcac
Journal: The Lancet Planetary Health (2021)

The worsening climate crisis and the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic are reinforcing the importance of adopting a planetary health approach—first introduced in The Lancet in 20151Whitmee S Haines A Beyrer C et al.Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch: report of The Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on planetary health.Lancet. 2015; 386: 1973-2028Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (928) Google Scholar—in addressing the human health–environment relationship. To promote planetary health worldwide, global networks have emerged, such as the Planetary Health Alliance and inVIVO Planetary Health, and regional groups, such as Planetary Health Alliance's regional hubs, providing international platforms for planetary health enthusiasts and advocates to exchange ideas and forge collaborations for research and action. As interest in planetary health continues to grow across the world, there is a crucial need to also establish national planetary health communities of scholars, practitioners, and students. Such national networks will drive domestic capacity building for planetary health research, education, and practice, which is crucial for democratising and decolonising this new field. Moreover, planetary health challenges manifest as local problems, directly affecting communities on the ground. Therefore, planetary health actions must be localised while being connected with international efforts, guided by planetary health values and principles, and anchored on shared planetary goals of improved human health and preserved ecological integrity. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Filipino scholars and practitioners from diverse disciplines and sectors came together to establish Planetary Health Philippines—a national community for advancing the new discipline of planetary health in the Philippines. In the spirit of inclusivity, the composition of Planetary Health Philippines is interdisciplinary, intersectoral, intergenerational, and international, consisting not only of Filipinos based in the Philippines but also those who are part of the diaspora. The new community is committed to cultivating planetary health stewardship among Filipinos through education and awareness raising, showcasing ideas and innovations that push boundaries and build bridges, shaping the country's national policy and research agenda for planetary health, and providing an enabling space for creative synergies and futures-oriented solutions. In the coming years, Planetary Health Philippines will be tackling some of the pressing planetary health challenges affecting the Filipino population and the ecosystems which their health depends upon. Being one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, the Philippines has seen the intensity of extreme weather events, such as typhoons and extreme flooding, drastically increasing over the years, taking a huge human toll and imposing increasing strain on the country's already-overburdened health system.2Villarin JRT Algo JLC Cinco TA et al.Philippine climate change assessment: the physical science basis. The Oscar M Lopez Center for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management Foundation, Pasig2016Google Scholar Moreover, slow-onset climate effects are already beginning to manifest—for instance, the Philippines, having one of the world's longest coastlines, is also facing some of the fastest rates of sea level rise in the world,3Kahana R Abdon R Daron J Scannell C Projections of mean sea level change for the Philippines. Met Office, Devon2016Google Scholar which can result in increasing salinisation of drinking water and ultimately forced displacement of poor communities. In addition, located in southeast Asia's Coral Triangle, the Philippines was also once described as the centre of the marine shore fish biodiversity.4Carpenter KE Springer VG The center of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity: the Philippine Islands.Environ Biol Fishes. 2005; 72: 467-480Crossref Scopus (303) Google Scholar With ocean warming and acidification, overfishing, and microplastic pollution, such rich marine biodiversity is facing a huge threat, which can then lead to massive declines in fish harvest and undermine the nutritional status of populations in the long run. Given the tropical geography of the Philippines, its rainforests also provide a habitat for microbes of outbreak potential. Human-driven alteration of these natural ecosystems through deforestation, urbanisation, and unsustainable agricultural practices can drive the emergence of novel infections and make the Philippines a ground zero for a future pandemic. Since 2020, Planetary Health Philippines has already taken initial steps in promoting planetary health in the Philippines. In April, 2021, in celebration of Earth Day, Planetary Health Philippines recited the interprofessional pledge for planetary health, which was built on the Hippocratic Oath.5Wabnitz KJ Gabrysch S Guinto R et al.A pledge for planetary health to unite health professionals in the Anthropocene.Lancet. 2020; 396: 1471-1473Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (21) Google Scholar To adapt to COVID-19 restrictions, interactions among members have been predominantly online through a new website, social media groups, webinars, and other teleconferencing activities. New planetary health programmes have also been established in various educational institutions, such as the Planetary and Global Health Program at St Luke's College of Medicine and the Applied Microbiology for Health and Environment Research Group at the University of the Philippines Manila. In the area of education, several universities in the Philippines have already taken the initial steps in introducing planetary health to the undergraduate curriculum. For instance, the University of the Philippines Los Baños offered the first-ever elective course on planetary health in the country. A planetary health module has also been introduced to the core courses of science, technology, and society, which is part of the university's general education curriculum for all undergraduate students. The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of the Philippines Manila also incorporated planetary health in its research and public service agenda, reflected in various initiatives related to urban studies, disaster risk reduction, and indigenous community engagement. Although innovative educational programmes for undergraduate and graduate levels are also underway in various schools, student organisations are taking initiative in delivering learning workshops virtually, which is enabling students to consider planetary health topics for their theses and dissertations. Like in many parts of the world, planetary health is still in its infancy in the Philippines. Nonetheless, we hope that Planetary Health Philippines can offer insights on how to build national planetary health communities, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. In the coming months, the Planetary Health Philippines community is committed to expanding its membership beyond academia and civil society to include indigenous communities, farmers and fisherfolk, and other marginalised groups. Planetary health must also be introduced to the school curriculum to produce a new generation of Filipinos that value holistic and balanced health of humans and the planet.6von Borries R Guinto R Thomson DJ Abia WA Lowe R Planting sustainable seeds in young minds: the need to teach planetary health to children.Lancet Planet Health. 2020; 4: e501-e502Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (7) Google Scholar We also plan to cocreate a national planetary health research agenda that will serve as a guide for local researchers and funders, and to establish closer ties with national and local government agencies to ensure the translation of planetary health knowledge into policy and practice. Finally, we hope to build strong international connections with research institutes and organisations abroad to contribute to the healing and renewal of the planet—a legacy for the future children of the Philippines and the world. RRG is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board at The Lancet Planetary Health and the co-lead of the Southeast Asia regional hub of the Planetary Health Alliance. All other authors declare no competing interests.