Leading health scholars reveal the impact of globalization on human health, as it is mediated through environmental change. They explore the destabilizing impact of globalization on the planet's ecology, and on the health of the human populations that are dependent on the delicate global bionetwork. Their timely case studies describe the cultural adaptations of indigenous populations to their changing environments, evaluating their technological and global political-economic processes. The authors analyze local and global public health strategies, examine the association between globalization and demographies, and offer creative solutions for future health policies. This book will be a valuable resource for professionals in international health, medical anthropology, sociology and geography, environmental studies, and globalization studies.

Globalization is a form of social change, reshaping the socio-spatial milieu in which humans strive, and in which health and disease are managed and controlled. And yet the effects of globalization are distributed unevenly, with opportunities open for some but not for all. Globalization, Health and the Global South is an important textbook for any student of this fascinating area. Examining the dynamics of globalization through the lens of the Global South, it highlights risks and vulnerabilities that affect different regions and contexts, exacerbating inequalities despite the continuing speed of global processes. The books takes a critical approach to the topic, offering readers a deep understanding of health discourses and discusses a range of key topics, including migrant health, the role of politics and diplomacy and the Coronavirus pandemic. Including further reading and end of chapter discussion questions, this essential textbook will be important reading for students across the health and social sciences.

While much progress has been made on achieving the Millenium Development Goals over the last decade, the number and complexity of global health challenges has persisted. Growing forces for globalization have increased the interconnectedness of the world and our interdependency on other countries, economies, and cultures. Monumental growth in international travel and trade have brought improved access to goods and services for many, but also carry ongoing and ever-present threats of zoonotic spillover and infectious disease outbreaks that threaten all. Global Health and the Future Role of the United States identifies global health priorities in light of current and emerging world threats. This report assesses the current global health landscape and how challenges, actions, and players have evolved over the last decade across a wide range of issues, and provides recommendations on how to increase responsiveness, coordination, and efficiency â€" both within the U.S. government and across the global health field.

This book discusses globalization and its impact on human health. The population of the world grew from 1 billion in 1800 to 7 billion in 2012, and over the past 50 years the mean temperature has risen faster than ever before. Both factors continue to rise, as well as health inequalities. Our environment is changing rapidly, with tremendous consequences for our health. These changes produce complex and constantly varying interactions between the biosphere, economy, climate and human health, forcing us to approach future global health trends from a new perspective. Preventive actions to improve health, especially in low-income countries, are essential if our future is going to be a sustainable one. After a period of undeniable improvement in the health of the world’s population, this improvement is likely to slow down and we will experience– at least locally – crises of the same magnitude as have been observed in financial markets since 2009. There is instability in health systems, which will worsen if preventive and buffering mechanisms do not take on a central role. We cannot exclude the possibility that the allied forces of poverty, social inequalities, climate change, industrial food and lack of governance will lead to a deterioration in the health of large sectors of the population. In low-income countries, while many of the traditional causes of death (infectious diseases) are still highly prevalent, other threats typical of affluent societies (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases) are increasing. Africa is not only affected by malaria, TB and HIV, but also by skyrocketing rates of cancer. The book argues that the current situation requires effective and coordinated multinational interventions guided by the principle of health as a common good. An entirely competition-driven economy cannot – by its very nature – address global challenges that require full international cooperation. A communal global leadership is called for. Paolo Vineis is Chair of Environmental Epidemiology at Imperial College. His current research activities focus on examining biomarkers of disease risk as well as studying the effects of climate change on non-communicable diseases. “From morality to molecules, environment to equity, climate change to cancer, and politics to pathology, this is a wonderful tour of global health – consistently presented in a clear, readable format. Really, an important contribution.” Professor Sir Michael Marmot Director, Institute of Health Equity University College London Author of “The Health Gap” “This book is a salutary and soundly argued reminder that the ‘common good’ is not simply what remains after individuals and groups have appropriated the majority of societal resources: it is in fact the foundation on which any society rests and without which it collapses.” Rodolfo Saracci, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France

Globalization is breaking down economic, political, cultural, demographic, and social barriers across the world at an astonishing pace. The topic of globalization can arouse passionate debate in many circles including academic journals, the popular media, and even on the streets. This new world order is marked by new actors, new rules of governance, new forms of communication, and the global movement of populations. Health is an exquisitely sensitive mirror of social conditions, and the authors of this book argue that the assessment of health is an important criterion for evaluating and monitoring the progress of globalization. This book provides an analysis of the most serious global threats to health, the tools that can be used to evaluate them, and the international agencies established to respond to them. Medical threats such as infectious diseases, obesity, tobacco use, and global climate change are discussed, but the authors also expand their scope to include socio-political health impacts such as economic inequality. The complex role of organizations such as the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank is also analyzed, as is the increasing interconnectedness of health and non-health actors. Is this blurring of boundaries really beneficial to the public's health, or have these actors abandoned health issues for power politics? By drawing together an international group of health experts,Globalization and Health provides a comprehensive account of the successes and failures, as well as the challenges and opportunities of globalization for public health.

Exploring the links between health and globalization, this title considers important issues such as the global spread of pandemics (such as swine flu and bird flu), effects of migration, and health care systems across the world.

The long separation of health and International Relations, as distinct academic fields and policy arenas, has now dramatically changed. Health, concerned with the body, mind and spirit, has traditionally focused on disease and infirmity, whilst International Relations has been dominated by concerns of war, peace and security. Since the 1990s, however, the two fields have increasingly overlapped. How can we explain this shift and what are the implications for the future development of both fields? Colin McInnes and Kelley Lee examine four key intersections between health and International Relations today - foreign policy and health diplomacy, health and the global political economy, global health governance and global health security. The explosion of interest in these subjects has, in large part, been due to "real world" concerns - disease outbreaks, antibiotic resistance, counterfeit drugs and other risks to human health amid the spread of globalisation. Yet the authors contend that it is also important to understand how global health has been socially constructed, shaped in theory and practice by particular interests and normative frameworks. This groundbreaking book encourages readers to step back from problem-solving to ask how global health is being problematized in the first place, why certain agendas and issue areas are prioritised, and what determines the potential solutions put forth to address them? The palpable struggle to better understand the health risks facing a globalized world, and to strengthen collective action to deal with them effectively, begins - they argue - with a more reflexive and critical approach to this rapidly emerging subject.