PD 21 - Planetary Health Determines Human Health

Climate change, biodiversity loss, and the COVID-19 pandemic share a common cause: the human disruption of our planet's natural systems. As a result of the destructive way we treat our environment, we face an unprecedented global threat to human health. This is all known, but not understood - let alone put into practice and effective policies. On this panel we want to focus on the interaction between science, policy making and public understanding of global health issues. What is missing in the conversation so far? What opportunities arise from the COVID-19 pandemic, the IPCC reports and initiatives like “healthy recovery" and “building back better"? “Scientific research shows, that showing people research does not work“ (John D. Stermann, MIT). Time and time again more information is added, but Legislative and executive political decisions remains stuck in silo mentality. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the key role and the limitations of good evidence-based communication. This panel is about talking to international capacities in science about how breakthrough findings also become public knowledge that is effective for policy decisions. What approaches work best? How can we instill more science into policymaking?