Principles for Improving Public Health Given Environmental Challenges
According to the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA), we must add to how we view public health to account for the link between humans and the natural environment. This linkage has been recognized for millennia by indigenous communities around the world but requires greater recognition now in the 21st century. A document released by the CPHA in 2015, entitled “Global Change and Public Health: Addressing the Ecological Determinants of Health”, proposes these new principles we need. The document states that “There is a growing recognition that the Earth is itself a living system and that the ultimate determinant of human health (and that of all other species) is the health of the Earth’s life-supporting systems”.
Global changes to the earth caused by humanity such as climate change, release of toxic chemicals into the environment, resource depletion, and species extinction are all driving the earth away from its natural balance and its ability to sustain life. Ecosystem services provided by the earth produce what human life needs. These needs required to maintain health are called the ecological determinants of health and consist of oxygen, water, food, fuel, natural resources, detoxifying processes, the ozone layer, and a stable climate. The CPHA outlines six guiding principles to support these ecological determinants of health which are described below.
Guiding Principles
The first principle states that human health should not be seen as being separate and untouched by the health of ecosystems and species but rather requires that we affirm the interconnections that exist between all forms of life. We need to recognize that the decline of biodiversity has an impact on human health as each species performs unique ecological services that sustain life on earth. Consider these examples: different plants provide food each with a unique set of nutrients, other plants help to cure diseases and as such are used for medicines, bees pollinate one-third of what we eat including fruits and vegetables, trees absorb carbon dioxide helping to maintain a stable climate and reduce the impacts of climate change, nature provides opportunities for recreation such as hiking which can improve our mental health, and proper nutrient cycling in agricultural ecosystems allows for healthy soils and food. Recognizing the importance of these services will help secure the health of humans.
The second principle states that human activities need to respect intergenerational equity where actions taken today do not jeopardize the health and happiness of future generations. This approach is based on the Seventh Generation Principle (from the ancient indigenous Haudenosaunee philosophy) where actions we take today will help and not take away from the present to seven generations in the future. This is to ensure that we do not hurt those who are yet to be born while performing the day-to-day actions of life. The implications are critical if we are to achieve true sustainability and require that each of us judge every action we take using this philosophy including how we treat others, what we buy when we go shopping, how the products on our shopping shelves are made, and what we teach our children. All our actions must be judged through this lens.
The third principle requires that we adopt the right to a healthy environment in Canada’s constitution. This will ensure that everyone has the right fresh air, clean water, safe foods, and a stable climate instead of permitting air pollution, contaminated food and water, and toxic chemicals. This right will also ensure that nature is protected so that it can perform critical services allowing for the health of all species including humans. Having a constitutional right ensures stronger environmental laws and regulations and will ensure that environmental protections are seen as a core value for Canadians. Constitutional protections for the environment around the world have resulted in better enforcement of environmental laws, the cleanup of pollution hotspots, significant reductions in air pollution, and smaller ecological footprints. This right will ensure that human health is respected and improved for all peoples including those who are most vulnerable to environmental toxins such as Indigenous and other racialized people as well as the poor. The right to a healthy environment is present in the constitutions of over 100 countries around the world and is badly needed in Canada’s constitution.
The fourth principle recognizes that disadvantaged communities are disproportionately affected by the burdens of environmental damage and the resulting health risks. A 2020 United Nations special rapporteur report on Canada found: “The prevalence of discrimination in Canada’s laws and policies regarding hazardous substances and wastes is clear. There exists a pattern in Canada where marginalized groups, and Indigenous peoples in particular, find themselves on the wrong side of a toxic divide, subject to conditions that would not be acceptable elsewhere in Canada. A natural environment conducive to the highest attainable standard of health is not treated as a right, but unfortunately for many in Canada today an elusive privilege.” The House of Commons has passed Bill C-226 which will address environmental racism. The law calls for the federal government to “develop a national strategy to promote efforts across Canada to advance environmental justice and to assess, prevent and address environmental racism.” The law includes compensating individuals and communities that have faced nearby environmental hazards and also requires the collection of data relating to health outcomes in communities close to environmental hazards.
The fifth principle requires that we stop harming the natural environment to preserve the ability of the environment to act as our life support system. This needs to be done by changing our lifestyles and economic system. This means that we need to evaluate how our consumption of goods and services harms the environment. Adopting a low carbon or eco-friendly lifestyle is one way to do this. Changing our overall idea of growth is also important. Instead of a metric like GDP which measures economic growth, we should rely on measures that combine economic growth with environmentally sustainable growth and inclusive growth. Examples of such indicators include the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) which accounts for social and environmental impacts as well as non-financial human contributions, such as volunteering, and the Happy Planet Index (HPI) which accounts for life expectancy, well-being, ecological footprint, and inequality.
The final principle requires that we apply a Precautionary Principle to the ecological determinants of health. The Precautionary Principal was in the 1992 Rio Declaration and states that “where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation”. This means that any possible threat requires that we not pursue that product or service (eg. a product that can be purchased but might cause harm to the environment although we are not certain that it will). Not taking action when there might be a threat can result in significant and irreversible environmental harm in the future which cannot be easily and cost effectively addressed. Averting such risky behaviours will result in avoiding harm to the environment and human health. This approach needs to be fully adopted into Canadian law and regulations for all sectors of the economy wherever the environment might be affected by public policy.
All these principles should be part of the set of tools for decision makers to adopt to ensure that the earth’s life support systems continue to sustain human health and the health of all species and ecosystems.
