Planet: Critical Health Begins With Earth | Sharon Friel
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Oct 9, 2025 Sharon Friel, a Professor of Health Equity at the Australian National University, dives deep into the alarming intersection of planetary health and human well-being. She discusses how climate change exacerbates diseases and inequalities, and the urgent need to integrate Indigenous knowledge into health systems. Friel advocates for transformative economic models that prioritize well-being and underscores the necessity of reforming medical education to address a changing environment. Her insights challenge the biomedical paradigm, calling for systemic changes in policy to safeguard health.
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Training Future Planetary Health Leaders
- Sharon runs the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse Future Leaders Program with younger global leaders across sectors.
- She sees these cohorts as hopeful sources of alternative ideas entering halls of power.
Green Healthcare And Tackle Upstream Drivers
- Greening the health sector reduces its emissions by cutting single-use plastics and high-emission anaesthetics.
- Simultaneously pursue cross-sector policies (energy, housing, food) to prevent ill health upstream.
Health Depends On Cross‑Sector Policy
- Health outcomes depend heavily on policy domains outside health ministries like housing, energy and planning.
- Ministers for Health must collaborate across portfolios to prevent illness structurally.
