Today, April 30, 2021, the University of São Paulo – the (virtual) host of the 4th Planetary Health Annual Meeting (PHAM), and the Planetary Health Alliance (PHA) will launch the São Paulo Declaration on Planetary Health. The first of its kind, the São Paulo Declaration on Planetary Health outlines actions necessary to achieve the Great Tra...

Last year, when Labour Day rolled around at the height of summer, I wrote about how we were witnessing one of the most horrific migrations of workers across India, and the draconian, despairing changes that were taking place in labour policies. While that was largely the result of apathetic and hasty policy decisions and political one-upmanship,...

In March 2020, the government enforced a lockdown to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Cape Town, South Africa. However, in this divided city, historically under-resourced areas lack access to basic water and sanitation amenities, secure food sources, and the ability to isolate upon exposure to the virus. In a unique, informal, and rapid response...

Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRD) are a leading cause of death and disability  worldwide. Just to give you an idea: in 2015, 3·2 million people died from one of the key CRDs, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  Many of them occur in sub-Saharan African countries and other LMICs, and figures are on the rise.   In addition,  CRDs are ...

We are writing from the following places: Azania, The traditional lands of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, which includes the Ojibwa, the Odawa, and the Potawatomie, the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 17...

The first anniversary of the C-thing has not gone unnoticed. Anniversaries provide moments to take stock, look back and think about what might come next. Last Spring, the early enthusiasm for transformational change was more tangible in the air than aerosols -but now, on our way to 3 million casualties worldwide, it seems only artists and philos...

It had been exactly one year since the last time I was in Honduras. I was honestly glad to enjoy the green landscape as the airplane landed in San Pedro Sula airport. Little did I know that my excitement was going to change into something more ominous, on my way to the hotel where I was about to spend my quarantine. It didn’t take long to noti...

Large-scale anti-government protests and collective aggression against leadership and government systems have increased in almost every region of the world since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. With more than 30 significant demonstrations in 26 countries targeting COVID-19 restrictions, the year 2020 was aptly described as “the year of pro...

It is now nearly a year since Delhi and India went into a complete and total lockdown on the 24th of March 2020 for three months. This note is being posted nearly 6 months later than intended. I call this lockdown procrastination. August 2020 – An up-close and personal glimpse into the price of “development” On the afternoon of the 6th of ...