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.
In our recently released policy brief, we, as the Planetary Health Cluster, set out why this matters now for Europe and what needs to change to close the gap between policy ambition and real‑world impact.
We show that several planetary boundaries have already been crossed and that, despite the European Green Deal and the 8th Environmental Action Programme, the EU is not on track to meet key 2030 climate and environmental targets. A core reason is that many people still do not see how environmental change translates into concrete health risks – or into everyday issues like the cost of living, jobs, and access to essential services.
Our brief calls for strengthening planetary health literacy across society so that citizens can better understand environment–health links, critically assess information, and participate in collective solutions. We highlight two priorities:
- first, improving public understanding through clear, tailored communication and scalable citizen engagement;
- and second, shifting policies upstream to tackle the root environmental determinants of health and keep human activity within planetary boundaries.
The Planetary Health Cluster – through GoGreen Next, SPRINGS, TULIP, MOSAIC and PLANET4HEALTH – is already putting these recommendations into practice. Together, our projects are co‑creating tools, evidence and participatory approaches that turn awareness into action and support a just transition to living well within planetary limits across Europe and beyond.
Authors: Planetary Health Cluster Communication team