“Planetary Health Depends On Sustainable Food Production”

Cristina O’Callaghan-Gordo is a professor of Health Sciences studies at the UOC (Open University of Catalonia), a doctor in epidemiology and a researcher at ISGlobal. He has studied in several countries the effects of pollution, excess heat and other environmental factors on human health, and warns of the urgent need for a paradigm shift that takes into account the health of the planet to prevent disease in beings humans.

“Our health is closely dependent on the health of the planet and is shown only by the fact that air pollution causes more than 6 million deaths annually, deaths that reach 9 million if we add those derived from water and soil pollution. ”Says Dr. O’Callaghan-Gordo.

“We are reaching a point of no return. We must act now!”

–How does air pollution harm our body?
–When we talk about air pollution we are talking about a mixture of gases and particles in suspension that originate from natural or anthropogenic causes. The particles that are in suspension are classified by their size. Ultrafine particles are the most harmful because, after being inhaled and reaching the lungs, they can pass into the bloodstream and from there reach various organs such as the brain. They increase the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, but they also affect the cognitive level and have important consequences on the neurological development of children. Gases, such as nitrogen oxides produced by car engines and industry, are added to the effects of these harmful particles. We cannot forget that in the last century the quality of the air has deteriorated, having also increased CO2 emissions, which have a direct effect on climate change.

“We have to act! We cannot continue to be healthy if we do not take care of the natural environment.”

“Why don’t we act?”
– Paradoxically, the overexploitation of the planet’s resources that has occurred in recent centuries has increased our life expectancy, extreme poverty and infant mortality have also been reduced. So we only perceive the improvement of our quality of life and we do not realize that while we are mortgaging our future and that of our children. Maintaining the same health standards that we have achieved globally or improving them is not possible if they are based on the destruction of the resources that have made them possible. And we are reaching a point of no return. In fact, we are already seeing the consequences of climate change with increasingly frequent extreme weather events and a continuous increase in temperatures. We have to act! Because we will not be able to continue enjoying health if we do not take care of the natural environment.

– Do we live as if we were independent of the health of the planet?
-Yes. Human health and environmental health have been working separately until now. People who are dedicated to environmental epidemiology were aware of the close relationship between environment and health, but I think we were not aware of the importance that our progress in health was also healthy for the planet. Now it is essential to work so that taking care of health also implies a positive effect on the environment.

“This pandemic is related to the damage we do to biodiversity and various scientists warned of this danger for a long time.”

– Is the COVID-19 pandemic derived from the mistreatment that we have given to the planet?
-Totally. This pandemic is related to the damage we do to biodiversity and various scientists warned of this danger for a long time. The appearance of new viruses is very frequent: from the 1960s to 2004, more than 300 new infectious diseases have been identified, although not all of them affect humans or have such rapid transmission or clinical effects as marked as those of the coronavirus. But a biodiverse environment, that is, an ecosystem that houses different species in the same place, controls viruses and prevents these infections from reaching humans. When one of the species presents a new disease, the other species in the same environment control that this population does not dominate the ecosystem and with this the progress of the disease is also limited. On the other hand, by losing biodiversity, this host species of the disease can end up dominating in the ecosystem, thereby increasing its spread. The most diverse ecosystems are primary forests, which have evolved for thousands of years, offer a great diversity of animal and plant species and, if they are in good health, control and balance the proliferation of species and diseases that these host. But the massive deforestation that we are practicing is loading these ecosystems and also puts human settlements nearby. This is happening in the Amazon, which is degrading in such a way that the outbreaks of infectious agents are propitiated and that these pass and affect man.

– Are you studying the effects of heat stress on health?
Yes, heat stress has various negative health effects. I am studying whether it can increase kidney disease in people who work under high temperatures, such as farmers in certain areas of Spain. In addition, the fact that there are more extreme weather events also worsens the quality of the water we drink, which increases the risk of infectious diseases. The highest temperatures recorded in recent years have favored the arrival of diseases transmitted by insects such as dengue, the Nile virus or the chikungunya, diseases that have spread to areas where they were not present. As if that were not enough, the increase in temperature on the planet will cause a desertification that will force people to move and these forced population migrations because the land is no longer arable will lead to social conflicts and wars that will have a huge impact on physical health. and mental of the people.

– Have you also investigated the effects of oil extraction on the population?
– Yes, we have seen that in the Amazon rainforest oil extraction has led to a high level of environmental pollution that has very harmful effects on the population. The survival of the indigenous population in the area depends closely on their environment, for example the river water, which cannot be replaced by any other and is being polluted. Thus, since the exploitation of oil in the area began, the levels of heavy metals such as lead have increased in the body well above what would be recommended, which can affect neurodevelopment and increase the risk of cancer and disease. renal problems.

“The high consumption of meat is right now one of the main causes of deforestation: trees are cut down to install fields to feed livestock.”

– Planetary health should encompass the way we produce food?
–One of the main axes of planetary health is effectively implementing a sustainable food production model. Big crops involve massive deforestation and the use of pesticides on a large scale. On the other hand, the high consumption of meat is right now one of the main causes of deforestation: trees are cut down to install fields to feed livestock. If the world population stopped eating meat and became vegetarian, there would not only be immediate positive effects on climate change, but also on our health, since the consumption of meat increases the risk of degenerative and heart diseases closely linked to diets with a level high in animal fat. The vegan diet would still better protect the health of the planet and ours.

– Should we also abandon the extraction of fossil fuels?
–The extraction of fossil fuels has many negative effects on health. It causes serious health problems for the population living near the extraction areas due to the elevation of heavy metals in the body, but their transport is also very dangerous for the environment, as we have seen recently in the Mauritius Islands or we live here, in our country, with the Prestige. We also know the burning of fossil fuels is the main cause of climate change. Its effects are devastating because it worsens air quality and produces a global warming effect. But today’s world moves thanks to the exploitation and burning of fossil fuels. It is urgent to find a new energy model. A paradigm shift that involves the use of clean and reusable energy is urgent, which questions the current consumption model and economic growth as the only indicator of progress.