Urgent need for planetary health education for healthcare professionals and students in India

Abstract

The current climate crisis has had a significant negative impact on human health across the globe including India. Climate change is leading to global heating, rising sea levels and more severe extreme weather events such as floods, cyclones and droughts. These events have direct and indirect detrimental impacts on human health such as increased risk of water-related illnesses, vector-borne diseases, malnutrition due to food insecurity and pollution-related poor health. These effects are disproportionately borne by vulnerable communities, primarily low socioeconomic groups, women, children, and the elderly. Health professionals need to be upskilled to anticipate, diagnose and manage climate-related health issues and respond to environmental emergencies. The emerging transdisciplinary field of planetary health is based on the principle of protecting the planet to protect the health of humans. The authors argue that it is an ethical imperative to include planetary health education in the curricula of medical and other health professions in a way that would help ensure both climate resilience and social justice.