PLANETARY HEALTH A NEW DISCIPLINE Traditionally, medical science is based on systems within the human body. Planetary health broadens health research to include the external systems that sustain or threaten human health. WATER SOIL URBAN ENVIRONMENTS CLIMATE OCEANS AGRICULTURE ECONOMY MIGRATION POLITICS ENERGY LAND INDUSTRY WEATHER AIR INTERSECTING DISCIPLINES While human health has progressed, the depletion of our natural systems threatens our ability to maintain these improvements. Planetary health brings together a wide range of existing disciplines to ensure a healthy and sustainable future. SCIENCES AL AND PHYS ALTH TUR ICAL HE NA SC IE Cardiac medicine NC Agriculture ES Genetics research Biodiversity conservation Endocrinology & metabolism Ecology Neurosciences Environmental sciences Infectious diseases Planetary Meteorology Nutrition & dietetics health Oceanography Oncology Soil science Psychiatry Urban planning Respiratory medicine Virology Water resources MAKE THE CONNECTION Planetary health challenges current barriers between disciplines and explores the connections between them. Research from The Lancet’s family of journals makes these connections: Which mineral deficiency in humans is related to CO2 emissions? Read a study in The Lancet Global Health on how atmospheric CO2 reduces zinc in plants and the humans who eat them.1 AIR NUTRITION How might urban planning affect rates of dementia? Research in The Lancet links dementia risk to living near major roads.2 LAND USE NEUROLOGY Which weather conditions are linked to increases in cardiac admissions? A study in The Lancet Planetary Health shows that, while drought is associated with reduced respiratory hospital admissions in a US population, cardiac admissions are increased in periods of worsening drought.3 WEATHER CARDIOLOGY EVENTS How does our daily commute affect our health? Research in The Lancet Public Health shows that even though cyclists and pedestrians are more at risk of inhaling pollutants, the positive effects of active commuting outweigh the negative.4 RESPIRATORY TRANSPORT MEDICINE A decline in which animal population is linked to vitamin A deficiencies in humans? Decline in bee populations could significantly increase deficiencies in vitamin A and folate. Research in The Lancet highlights the importance of protecting pollinators to protect human nutrition.5 HUMAN ZOOLOGY HEALTH PLANETARY HEALTH AND THE LANCET In 2015, The Lancet published the special report on Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch: report of The Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on planetary health.6 Now, The Lancet is launching a new journal, THE LANCET PLANETARY HEALTH The Lancet Planetary Health is an open access journal committed to publishing high-quality articles on the health of human civilisation and the natural systems on which it depends. CO-BENEFITS FOR HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT It is vital that we protect the environment in which we live and depend, and develop sustainable systems to support human health. The new Lancet Planetary Health journal, and planetary health articles published across The Lancet’s journals, seek to address these big issues: the ongoing legacy of human health now, and for generations to come. To learn more about the discipline of planetary health and to read the latest research from our new open access journal, The Lancet Planetary Health, visit www.thelancet.com/planetary-health SOURCES 1. Myers SS, Wessells KR, Kloog I, Zanobetti A, Schwartz J. Effect of increased concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide on the global threat of zinc deficiency: a modelling study. Lancet Glob Health 2015; 3: e639–45. http://bit.ly/2nvyI88 2. Chen H, Kwong JC, Copes R, et al. Living near major roads and the incidence of dementia, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis: a population-based cohort study. Lancet 2017; 389: 718–26. http://bit.ly/2od9UyG 3. Berman JD, Ebisu K, Peng RD, Dominici F, Bell ML. Drought and the risk of hospital admissions and mortality in older adults in western USA from 2000 to 2013: a retrospective study. Lancet Planet Health 2017; 1: e17–25. http://bit.ly/2nk7K2S 4. Cepeda M, Schoufour J, Freak-Poli R, et al. Levels of ambient air pollution according to mode of transport: a systematic review. Lancet Public Health 2017; 2: e23–34. http://bit.ly/2nkjcvn 5. Smith MR, Singh GM, Mozaffarian D, Myers SS. Effects of decreases of animal pollinators on human nutrition and global health: a modelling analysis. Lancet 2015; 386: 1964–72. http://bit.ly/2nvwKVl 6. Whitmee S, Haines A, Beyrer C, et al. Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch: report of The Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on planetary health. Lancet 2015; 386: 1973-2028. http://bit.ly/LanPla_anthropocene.