One Health & Environmental Literacy

1. One Health & Environmental Literacy Alison Robbins, MS, DVM Tufts Center for Conservation Medicine Tufts Environmental Literacy Institute May 20, 2013

2. Overview of One Health • Frame the subject of one health through a review of global assessments of ecosystem health and human health • Review definitions and priorities • Review concepts of ecosystem services and planetary boundaries Anthropocene • MEA, MDG, Sustainability Development Goals

3. One Health • What is it? • Recognition that human health, animal health and ecosystem health are inextricably linked Slide Courtesy G. Kaufman

4. One Health One Health? Slide Courtesy G. Kaufman

5. Many Competing Terms • Global Health • Ecohealth • One Health • Public Health • Conservation Medicine

6. Global Health and Ecohealth • Global health- a study and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide(Wikipedia)-measures health outcomes • Ecohealth-An emerging field of study researching how changes in the earth’s ecosystems affect human health focusing on participation, gender and social equity, systems thinking, and research to action

7. One Health Initiative -AVMA • The One Health concept is a worldwide strategy for expanding interdisciplinary collaborations and communications in all aspects of health care for humans, animals and the environment. http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/

8. Conservation Medicine @ Tufts Conservation medicine focuses on health relationships occurring at the interface of humans, animals, and the environment, and seeks to develop and apply health management practices, policies and programs that sustain biodiversity and protect the ecosystems essential to animal and human health. Slide Courtesy G. Kaufman

9. One Health We don’t all have the same priorities… PUBLIC HEALTH #1 Human health #2 Animal health #3 Environmental health CONSERVATION MEDICINE #1 Wildlife health #2 Environmental health #3 Human health ECOSYSTEM HEALTH #1 Environmental health #2 Human health #3 Animal health Slide Courtesy G. Kaufman

10. Global Health Assessment • Environmental Health • Millennium Ecosystem Assessment • Links ecosystem health to attaining human development goals • Animal Health • Livestock and agriculture • Biological Diversity -MEA • Wildlife • Human Health • Millennium Development Goals

11. Indicators of GlobalHuman Health • Indicators of human well being and health across the planet • Infant and child mortality, Extreme hunger • Access to education, • Millennium Development Goals – • Eight international development goals established in 2000 by the Millennium summit at the United Nations • Effort to achieve these goals across globe by 2015

12. United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

13. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Findings http://millenniumassessment.org/en/SlidePresentations.html

14. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA 2005) • 2005 report synthesizing 1000 scientists analysis of state of the earths ecosystems • Report concludes that human activity has a large and escalating impact world ecosystems • Ecosystem life support system and ecosystem services are in serious decline and at risk to non-linear change (tipping points) • Unless addressed will substantially effect human well being and all life • http://www.unep.org/maweb/en/index.aspx

15. Ecosystem Services Life and humankind depend on resources and processes that are supplied by ecosystems and are grouped into 4 broad categories: • Regulating Services • Supporting Services • Provisioning Services • Cultural Services MEA 2005

16. Constituents ofHuman Well Being Consequences of ecosystem change effect human well-being; 4 broad categories: • Security • Basic Material for Good life • Health • Good Social Relations • Freedom of Choice and Actions- opportunity to be and to achieve what an individual values doing and being MEA 2005

17. MEA2005

18. MEA2005

19. Human Well-being Indirect Drivers Ecosystem Services Direct Drivers MA Framework • Indirect Drivers of Change • Demographic • Economic (globalization, trade, market and policy framework) • Sociopolitical (governance and institutional framework) • Science and Technology • Cultural and Religious • Human Well-being and • Poverty Reduction • Basic material for a good life • Health • Good Social Relations • Security • Freedom of choice and action • Direct Drivers of Change • Changes in land use • Species introduction or removal • Technology adaptation and use • External inputs (e.g., irrigation) • Resource consumption • Climate change • Natural physical and biological drivers (e.g., volcanoes)

20. Unprecedented change in structure and function of ecosystems • More land was converted to cropland in the 30 years after 1950 than in the 150 years between 1700 and 1850. Cultivated Systems in 2000 cover 25% of Earth’s terrestrial surface (Defined as areas where at least 30% of the landscape is in croplands, shifting cultivation, confined livestock production, or freshwater aquaculture)

21. Changes to ecosystems have provided substantial benefits • Food production has more than doubled since 1960 • Food production per capita has grown • Food price has fallen

22. Unprecedented change: Ecosystems Gulf of Mexico nutrient runoff commons.wikimedia.org

23. Unprecedented Ecosystem Change (MEA 2005) • Amount of water in reservoirs quadrupled since 1960 • Withdrawals from rivers and lakes doubled since 1960 • Intercepted Continental Runoff: 3-6 times as much water in reservoirs as in natural rivers Three Gorges dam China www.industrytap.com

24. Unprecedented Ecosystem Change (MEA 2005) • 20% of the world’s coral reefs were lost and 20% degraded in the last several decades savethecorals.wordpress.com

25. Significant and largely irreversible Biodiversity Loss • Threatened with extinction: 30% amphibians, 12% birds, 23% Mammals, 3% plants. • 6th extinctions –on order of mass extinctions

26. Ecosystem Services Changes • Provisioning service increases • Crop production • Livestock • Aquaculture • Provisioning decrease • Capture fisheries • Genetic resources • Biochemicals/medicine • Fresh water • Regulating and cultural services -reductions • Air quality regulation • Climate regulation local • Erosion • pollination

27. Degradation of ecosystem services is a significant barrier to achievement of MDGs • Many of the regions facing the greatest challenges in achieving the 2015 targets coincide with regions facing the greatest problems of ecosystem degradation • Although socioeconomic factors will play a primary role in achieving many of the MDGs, targets are unlikely to be met without improvement in ecosystem management for goals such as: • Poverty Reduction • Hunger • All four MA scenarios project progress but at rates far slower than needed to attain the MDG target. The improvements are slowest in the regions in which the problems are greatest: South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa • Child mortality • Three of the MA scenarios project reductions in child undernourishment of between 10% and 60% but undernourishment increases by 10% in one. • Disease • Progress toward this Goal is achieved in three scenarios, but in one scenario the health and social conditions for the North and South further diverge, exacerbating health problems in many low-income regions • Environmental Sustainability including access to water

29. Anthropocene Epoch • Epoch- Formal time boundary often marked upheavals in Earth history through fossil record • Scale of human driven environmental change • Mega cities • Chemical and biological effects • Rates of biological extinctions 100 – 1000x equivalent to earths 6th extinction • Beginning with the industrial revolution within Epoch of Holocene

30. Anthropocene Epoch NASA

31. Planetary Boundaries – Rockstrom et al, Science 2009 Stockholm Resilience.org

32. How do we change course? • First a recognition that • “Business as usual” projected scenarios are grim • planetary boundaries can provide a framework for safe operating zones • Unique moment in time with world population, energy and food production, Global health advances and technology

33. How do we change course? • Change is difficult • With most aspects of change a shift of attitude is needed • A paradigm shift - One Health agenda

34. Paradigm Shift- • New paradigm for human endeavors • Innovation coupled with the new mindset lead to transformative actions and outcomes • Collaboration on a global scale

35. Sustainable Development Goals linking poverty eradication to protection of Earth’s life support systems Sustainable development goals for people and planet. Nature, 495: 305-307. (21 March 2013)

36. Griggs et al 2013: Nature 495; 305-307

37. Millennium Sustainability Goals • Grigg et al -Integrate into Millennium Development goals for human health • Paradigm shift for all governments across developed and undeveloped world • Road map for educators and OH practitioners: Healthy and productive ecosystems • Environmental literacy

38. TELI -A Step Forward Together • Educate the educators- knowledge gaps in environmental health are vast • Work with and inform global leaders • Breakdown social barriers to sharing information and changing practices • Learn from successes – MDG, share experiences

39. TELI -A Step Forward Together Take the next step forward- Begin to realize the extraordinary potential of interdisciplinary collaboration in Global One Health

40. Thanks to TuftsOne Health Community • Gretchen Kaufman • Antje Danielson • Joann Lindenmeyer • Mark Pokras • Mike McGuill • Helen Amuguni • Flo Tseng • Elena Nauvoma • Bryan Windmiller • MCM Students • Master’s in Conservation Medicine Program • Tufts Institute for the Environment • Fletcher School –Center for International Environmental Research and Policy (CIERP) • Tufts Programs in Public Health • Freidman School of Nutrition • Dept. of Infectious Disease and Global Health • USAID RESPOND project- capacity building