Falkenberg, Timo: One Health, Planetary Health & Global Health : integrated health approaches for the complex health challenges of the 21st Century. - Bonn, 2025. - Habilitation, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.
Online-Ausgabe in bonndoc: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hbz:5-80844
Online-Ausgabe in bonndoc: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hbz:5-80844
@phdthesis{handle:20.500.11811/12770,
urn: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hbz:5-80844,
doi: https://doi.org/10.48565/bonndoc-493,
author = {{Timo Falkenberg}},
title = {One Health, Planetary Health & Global Health : integrated health approaches for the complex health challenges of the 21st Century},
school = {Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn},
year = 2025,
month = jan,
note = {The health challenges of the 21st Century are determined by complex interplay between economic, ecological and social systems. Human socio-economic development has not only resulted in immense gains in life expectancy and prosperity, but has come at the expense of unsustainable resource extraction, deforestation, and environmental degradation. As a result,solutions to current health challenges cannot solely be found in the bio-medical sector, but require interdisciplinary and integrated approaches. The most prominent approaches are One Health, Planetary Health and Global Health. Although these show significant overlaps in scope and methodology, distinct differences between them are evident. Initially it is important to highlight that Global Health can be considered a sub-discipline of Public Health, whilst One Health and Planetary Health are approaches applied within and beyond Global Health. A primary difference between One Health and Planetary Health lies in their disciplinary origin, which influences the vantage point from which the issue as assessed. Whilst One Health originated from veterinary medicine, Planetary Health evolved from environmental and conservation science. Resultingly, One Health focuses on the human-animal interface, while Planetary Health assesses the influence of humans on the environment and vice versa. Both approaches have been critiqued for neglecting the respective other dimension, i.e. One Health neglecting the environmental dimension and Planetary Health neglecting the animal dimension, leading to expansion of the approaches. In consequence, the dividing lines between the approaches are increasing blurred. Whilst various authors call for convergence of the two approaches, here the distinct importance of each approach is illustrated. Utilizing the examples of emerging diseases, antimicrobial resistance, neglected tropical diseases, and water pollution, the perspective of each integrated health approach is highlighted. As most emerging and re-emerging diseases, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic, are zoonotic, One Health is considered the ideal approach for its management and control. Particularly, the establishment of integrated surveillance systems involving humans, animals and environmental compartments form a primary One Health measure. A Planetary Health approach shifts the focus from early-detection and preparedness towards identification of root-causes and prevention. Human destruction of ecosystems and habitats, as well as encroachment into natural environments and biodiversity loss are considered risk factors for disease emergence and transmission. A Planetary Health intervention to mitigate disease emergence, therefore, involves environmental protection and conservation. Similarly, antimicrobial resistance is best managed by a One Health approach, as it requires collaboration and coordination between human and veterinary medicine as well as the agricultural sector. Planetary Health assesses the environmental fate of antimicrobials, as well as the impact on aquatic and soil ecosystems and the resulting human health impact. The case of schistosomiasis, as an example for a neglected tropical disease, highlights distinct interventions. From a One Health perspective, controlling the intermediate snail vector forms a primary intervention strategy, while from a Planetary Health perspective, the influx of human fecal matter and the resulting water contamination are considered as underlying driving factor. Interventions would thus focus on reducing open defecation by developing sanitation infrastructure. The examples illustrate that One Health is a more reactive approach, concerned with managing and monitoring disease outbreaks and health issues, while Planetary Health is rather proactive, aiming to tackle the causes of environmental destruction and pollution, and creates health benefits as a side effect. As the great transformation demanded by Planetary Health will not be achieved in the short-term, the development of One Health systems to manage and control the adverse health effects is essential.},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11811/12770}
}
urn: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hbz:5-80844,
doi: https://doi.org/10.48565/bonndoc-493,
author = {{Timo Falkenberg}},
title = {One Health, Planetary Health & Global Health : integrated health approaches for the complex health challenges of the 21st Century},
school = {Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn},
year = 2025,
month = jan,
note = {The health challenges of the 21st Century are determined by complex interplay between economic, ecological and social systems. Human socio-economic development has not only resulted in immense gains in life expectancy and prosperity, but has come at the expense of unsustainable resource extraction, deforestation, and environmental degradation. As a result,solutions to current health challenges cannot solely be found in the bio-medical sector, but require interdisciplinary and integrated approaches. The most prominent approaches are One Health, Planetary Health and Global Health. Although these show significant overlaps in scope and methodology, distinct differences between them are evident. Initially it is important to highlight that Global Health can be considered a sub-discipline of Public Health, whilst One Health and Planetary Health are approaches applied within and beyond Global Health. A primary difference between One Health and Planetary Health lies in their disciplinary origin, which influences the vantage point from which the issue as assessed. Whilst One Health originated from veterinary medicine, Planetary Health evolved from environmental and conservation science. Resultingly, One Health focuses on the human-animal interface, while Planetary Health assesses the influence of humans on the environment and vice versa. Both approaches have been critiqued for neglecting the respective other dimension, i.e. One Health neglecting the environmental dimension and Planetary Health neglecting the animal dimension, leading to expansion of the approaches. In consequence, the dividing lines between the approaches are increasing blurred. Whilst various authors call for convergence of the two approaches, here the distinct importance of each approach is illustrated. Utilizing the examples of emerging diseases, antimicrobial resistance, neglected tropical diseases, and water pollution, the perspective of each integrated health approach is highlighted. As most emerging and re-emerging diseases, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic, are zoonotic, One Health is considered the ideal approach for its management and control. Particularly, the establishment of integrated surveillance systems involving humans, animals and environmental compartments form a primary One Health measure. A Planetary Health approach shifts the focus from early-detection and preparedness towards identification of root-causes and prevention. Human destruction of ecosystems and habitats, as well as encroachment into natural environments and biodiversity loss are considered risk factors for disease emergence and transmission. A Planetary Health intervention to mitigate disease emergence, therefore, involves environmental protection and conservation. Similarly, antimicrobial resistance is best managed by a One Health approach, as it requires collaboration and coordination between human and veterinary medicine as well as the agricultural sector. Planetary Health assesses the environmental fate of antimicrobials, as well as the impact on aquatic and soil ecosystems and the resulting human health impact. The case of schistosomiasis, as an example for a neglected tropical disease, highlights distinct interventions. From a One Health perspective, controlling the intermediate snail vector forms a primary intervention strategy, while from a Planetary Health perspective, the influx of human fecal matter and the resulting water contamination are considered as underlying driving factor. Interventions would thus focus on reducing open defecation by developing sanitation infrastructure. The examples illustrate that One Health is a more reactive approach, concerned with managing and monitoring disease outbreaks and health issues, while Planetary Health is rather proactive, aiming to tackle the causes of environmental destruction and pollution, and creates health benefits as a side effect. As the great transformation demanded by Planetary Health will not be achieved in the short-term, the development of One Health systems to manage and control the adverse health effects is essential.},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11811/12770}
}