One Health and Planetary Health: Why We Need Both Frameworks in Public Health

by | Jul 18, 2025 | Environmental Health

animals and earth illustration

By Khedija Shafi, BA(c), Williams College, Public Health Prepared

 

When we talk about the future of health, two terms often come up: One Health and Planetary Health. They are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are not the same. Both frameworks emphasize the connection between human health and our environment, but they approach this connection in different ways.

One Health is an older, well-established concept introduced by Dr. Lonnie King at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2009. It promotes a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach that recognizes the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and the environments they share. This approach is essential in addressing zoonotic diseases that can spread between animals and humans, like avian flu, rabies, and, more recently, COVID-19. The CDC and World Health Organization (WHO) both support and implement One Health initiatives.

Planetary Health, on the other hand, is a newer concept, formally defined in 2015 by the Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission. It takes a broader systems-level view, focusing on how human-caused disruptions such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution affect human health and well-being. According to the Commission, “human health depends on flourishing natural systems and the wise stewardship of those natural systems.” Planetary Health emphasizes sustainability and long-term impact rather than immediate disease prevention.

Comparing one health and planetary health frameworks one health originated in veterinary/public health (CDC, 2009) with a focus on interconnection between humans, animals, and their environment with a scope covering disease outbreaks (zoonoses), antimicrobial resistance, and food safety with the primary aim to prevent and respond to health threats at the human-animal-environment interface. Planetary health was originated in environmental/public health (Lancet Commission, 2015) with a focus on interlinked connection of human well-being with the planet's ecosystem with a scope covering climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and ecological collapse with a primary aim to protect long-term human health through environmental stewardship

Why We Need Both Frameworks in Public Health

Public health has always focused on prevention, working on addressing the root causes that put people at risk. Today, many of those risks and root causes are interconnected. Problems that feel separate, such as climate change, disease outbreaks, air pollution, and food insecurity, are all symptoms of a deeper disconnection from nature, animals, ecosystems, and sometimes even from one another within the field of public health.

One Health helps us reconnect by focusing on the link between human, animal, and environmental health. It brings together experts from the fields of medicine, veterinary science, and environmental health to address urgent challenges like zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance. Planetary Health builds on that connection by emphasizing how large-scale environmental disruptions, such as deforestation, rising temperatures, and biodiversity loss, affect human health over time.

But it is not just about connecting ideas. As public health professionals, we need to actively collaborate across disciplines, working not only with scientists and health workers but also with urban planners, climate researchers, farmers, educators, and community leaders. For example, in Chad, a Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment brought together a wide range of partners, including the Ministry of Health (MoH), health care workers (HCWs), civil society organizations (CSOs), the World Health Organization (WHO), and local stakeholders. This process combined focus group discussions, climate risk assessments, and health system evaluations to identify gaps in resilience and prepare for future climate shocks. It follows a One Health approach by including the health sector, community voices, and environmental concerns, while also aligning with Planetary Health through its broader goal of creating climate-resilient, sustainable healthcare systems (CRESH). Still, even with this cross-sector collaboration, there were moments of confusion, especially when translating long-term Planetary Health goals into short-term humanitarian contexts. Its systems-level thinking can feel abstract; however, efforts like the Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment show what is possible when we work across sectors. 

It is important to integrate both One Health and Planetary Health because it builds partnerships across disciplines. These frameworks push us to think beyond traditional public health boundaries and consider both the planet’s and our own health in everything we do. Together, they strengthen health systems to respond to today’s crises and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow.

 

 

To learn more, check out these resources: 

  • Planetary Health is Public Health, created by the Public Health Communication Collaborative (PHCC) and the Planetary Health Alliance, is a guide with practical tips for communicating about environmental changes and their impact on human health.
  • Fundamentals of One Health Practice (One Health Workforce Academies) is an online course covering One Health core concepts, delivered by global experts. It includes modules on human-animal-environment interactions, outbreak investigation, and more. Certificates are awarded upon completion.