This book proposes a paradigm shift in how human and nonhuman well-being are perceived and approached. In response to years of accelerated decline in the health of ecosystems and their inhabitants, this edited collection presents planetary well-being as a new cross-disciplinary concept to foster global transformation towards a more equal and inclusive framing of well-being. Throughout this edited volume, researchers across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences apply and reflect on the concept of planetary well-being, showcasing its value as an interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral changemaker. The book explores the significance of planetary well-being as a theoretical and empirical concept in sustainability science and applies it to discipline-specific cases, including business, education, psychology, culture, and development. Interdisciplinary perspectives on topical global questions and processes underpin each chapter, from soil processes and ecosystem health to global inequalities and cultural transformation, in the framework of planetary well-being. The book will appeal to academics, researchers, and students in a broad range of disciplines including sustainability science, sustainable development, natural resources, and environmental humanities. Calling readers to assess, challenge, and rethink the dominant perceptions of well-being and societal activities, this rich resource that explores the interconnection between human and nonhuman well-being serves as a tool to foster transformative action towards a more sustainable society. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

A global multidimensional concept, well-being is an important measure that is closely associated with quality of life. This book examines well-being concepts and measurements, related health theories and correlates of well-being, as well as gender and geographical differences. The authors explore the evidence on well-being policies, programs, and health interventions, in addition to issues of health advocacy, self-care, and healthy aging. They also examine global wellness perspectives in the context of planetary challenges and decolonization. As the authors share their unique perspectives, they bring to the fore the integration of cross-cutting themes of gender, human rights, social and environmental justice/equity and inclusivity, health promotion/settings, and healthy public policy. This book explores the diversity of philosophical and methodological perspectives on wellness and well-being. It further contextualizes the lived experience of the dimensions of well-being as experienced by the contributors across different regions of the globe.

Human health depends on the health of the planet. Earth’s natural systems—the air, the water, the biodiversity, the climate—are our life support systems. Yet climate change, biodiversity loss, scarcity of land and freshwater, pollution and other threats are degrading these systems. The emerging field of planetary health aims to understand how these changes threaten our health and how to protect ourselves and the rest of the biosphere. Planetary Health: Protecting Nature to Protect Ourselves provides a readable introduction to this new paradigm. With an interdisciplinary approach, the book addresses a wide range of health impacts felt in the Anthropocene, including food and nutrition, infectious disease, non-communicable disease, dislocation and conflict, and mental health. It also presents strategies to combat environmental changes and its ill-effects, such as controlling toxic exposures, investing in clean energy, improving urban design, and more. Chapters are authored by widely recognized experts. The result is a comprehensive and optimistic overview of a growing field that is being adopted by researchers and universities around the world. Students of public health will gain a solid grounding in the new challenges their profession must confront, while those in the environmental sciences, agriculture, the design professions, and other fields will become familiar with the human consequences of planetary changes. Understanding how our changing environment affects our health is increasingly critical to a variety of disciplines and professions. Planetary Health is the definitive guide to this vital field.

This book brings together leading researchers on wellbeing science to provide a multidisciplinary approach to psychological wellbeing with implications for the interconnected societal challenges we face today, including loneliness, neoliberalism, inequality and anthropogenic climate change. Its authors present new and innovative models for understanding, building and improving our understanding of the complex construct of wellbeing. The capacity for individual positive change is explored, as well as the scope for such change to impact on the communities and environments within which we live. Further, the book places individual wellbeing within a broader context that also addresses societal needs and challenges. In doing so, it provides a novel synthesis of individual, societal and environmental perspectives on wellbeing and human flourishing. In the face of an urgent need to build stronger, sustainable and more resilient communities, this book demonstrates how wellbeing science can link the individual with the community through appropriate health and wellbeing policies and offers a guide to a new way for individuals to connect with the world. It will appeal to researchers and professionals working across the fields of psychology, environmental science, public health and public policy.

What does it mean to live a good life in a time when the planet is overheating, the human population continues to steadily reach new peaks, oceans are turning more acidic, and fertile soils the world over are eroding at unprecedented rates? These and other simultaneous harms and threats demand creative responses at several levels of consideration and action. Written by an international team of contributors, this book examines in-depth the relationship between sustainability and the good life. Drawing on wealth of theories, from social practice theory to architecture and design theory, and disciplines, such as anthropology and environmental philosophy, this volume promotes participatory action-research based approaches to encourage sustainability and wellbeing at local levels. It covers topical issues such the politics of prosperity, globalization, and indigenous notions of "the good life" and happiness". Finally it places a strong emphasis on food at the heart of the sustainability and good life debate, for instance binding the global south to the north through import and exports, or linking everyday lives to ideals within the dream of the good life, with cookbooks and shows. This interdisciplinary book provides invaluable insights for researchers and postgraduate students interested in the contribution of the environmental humanities to the sustainability debate.