Best of CASE District II Award
 

Institution: Johns Hopkins University

Title of entry: Healthy Planet, Healthy People

About this entry: In “Healthy Planet, Healthy People,” Dean Ellen J. MacKenzie gives a robust overview of planetary health, describing how this relatively new field provides a powerful framework for addressing one of the most pressing issues of our time—the impacts of global environmental change on human health.

Written for the public health community, the column emphasizes that the challenge extends far beyond climate change, revealing the depth of the environmental crises that will drive a large share of the global burden of disease in the next century. Importantly, it raises up practical solutions and their impact in a way that’s both informative and inspirational, creating a we-can-do-this attitude around a problem that often feels hopeless.

At its heart, the piece takes a strong stance on the issue, saying “we can no longer think about public health without thinking about planetary health.” It ends with a persuasive and passionate call for urgent action to secure the health of future generations.