Air Pollution Drives Severe Health Impacts in South Africa’s Industrial Heartlands
The PLANET4HEALTH project has officially launched its first policy brief, lighting a critical view on how ambient air pollution directly threatens human health across South Africa’s most heavily industrialized regions.
Authored by project partner the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), the brief titled “Air Pollution and Mortality in South Africa’s Priority Areas: Evidence for Urgent Action”, presents critical epidemiological findings that link short-term pollutant exposure to increased mortality. By analyzing over one million deaths recorded between 2011 and 2018, the brief highlights systemic risks to public health and makes an urgent call for targeted, evidence-based policy interventions.
South Africa Launches First Climate and Health Surveillance Platform to Support Climate-Health Intelligence and Decision-Making
South Africa has launched its first national Climate and Health Surveillance platform, available at Climate Health Surveillance South Africa, a pioneering research and decision-support tool designed to strengthen the country’s ability to understand and respond to the growing health impacts of climate change.
Bridging Data Silos in Planetary Health
On April 23, the PLANET4HEALTH workshop at the HELT 2026 Symposium brought together experts and practitioners to unpack one of the most pressing challenges in planetary health research: data governance across human, animal, and environmental domains.
Living Well on a Healthy Planet: New Policy Brief from the Planetary Health Cluster
Planetary health is about protecting people’s health by protecting the natural systems we all depend on: from a stable climate to clean air, safe water, healthy food systems and thriving biodiversity.
One Health Effects of Ecological Degradation and Climate Change
From 29–30 January, PLANET4HEALTH partners held an internal workshop on “OneHealth Effects of Ecological Degradation and Climate Change Case Studies”, organised by Wageningen University and hosted by the project coordinator Ca’ Foscari University. The workshop brought together partners to discuss the analysis and modelling of OneHealth effects of climate change and ecological degradation across PLANET4HEALTH case studies.
Monitoring Air Quality Through Low-cost Sensor Use in South Africa
In thinking about air pollution, one is almost immediately transported to a place of thick smoke
and fog – called smog. Such images pervaded the media in Asia, where people were often seen
walking around with masks.
From Engagement to Impact: The Power of Stakeholders in Greentech Innovation recap
This webinar brought together leading voices from four EU-funded projects to discuss the role of stakeholder engagement in driving successful climate and health initiatives.
PLANET4HEALTH in National Geographic Spain: A Deep Dive into Leishmaniasis Prevention
The PLANET4HEALTH project recently received notable recognition: our work is featured in a compelling article by National Geographic Spain. Journalist Daniel Pellicer Roig, a biotechnologist specialising in biomedicine and rare diseases, penned this insightful piece, highlighting the critical issue of leishmaniasis prevention and how projects like PLANET4HEALTH, driven by experts including our partners Carla Maia from NOVA University Lisbon and Suzana Blesic from the Institute for Medical Research, are contributing to real-world solutions.
Reflecting on the First Year of PLANET4HEALTH: A Year of Progress and Collaboration
During 2024 PLANET4HEALTH project made significant progress in addressing the
environmental impacts on human, animal, and ecosystem health. With important
milestones achieved, there is much to look forward to as the project continues into 2025.
Highlights from the First 10 Months of PLANET4HEALTH Journey
PLANET4HEALTH dedicated team has been actively driving progress in alignment with
mission of the project, engaging in impactful events to raise awareness about
sustainable Planetary Health.