251
© The Author(s) 2019
M. R. Marselle et al. (eds.), Biodiversity and Health in the Face of Climate
Change, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02318-8_11
Chapter 11
Biodiversity and Health in the Face
of Climate Change: Implications for Public
Health
Penny A. Cook, Michelle Howarth, and C. Philip Wheater
Abstract A biodiverse natural environment is a health-promoting resource. A
given habitat can simultaneously provide multiple ecosystem (and therefore health)
benefits, both directly through, for example, flood risk mitigation and cooling, and
indirectly as a resource for cultural and physical activities. The single biggest priority for public health is to work across governments and countries to protect biodiverse natural resources and introduce measures to stem climate change. At a more
local level, public health professionals are responsible for devising strategies to promote sustainable lifestyles and facilitate access to natural environments. Modern
public health emphasises the reduction of avoidable differences in ill health between
the most and least well-off in society. Such strategies therefore need to target those
from socio-economically deprived areas, who are most at risk of ill health. Schemes
such as nature-based social prescribing or community referral give local commissioners of health services the opportunity to bring people into contact with nature.
Those with responsibility for the provision of nature-based schemes should be
encouraged to use interventions that bring people into active, rather than passive,
contact with nature. Further, targeting such interventions towards exposure to environments with the greatest biodiversity is likely to offer the greatest benefits for
human health.
Keywords Public health, biodiversity, climate change · Socio-economic status ·
Health inequalities · Nature-based social prescribing · Green care · Salutogenesis ·
Community referral · Asset based approach
P. A. Cook (*) · M. Howarth
School of Health and Society, University of Salford, Salford, UK
e-mail: p.a.cook@salford.ac.uk; M.L.Howarth2@salford.ac.uk
C. P. Wheater
Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University,
Manchester, UK
e-mail: p.wheater@mmu.ac.uk
© The Author(s) 2019
M. R. Marselle et al. (eds.), Biodiversity and Health in the Face of Climate
Change, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02318-8_11
Chapter 11
Biodiversity and Health in the Face
of Climate Change: Implications for Public
Health
Penny A. Cook, Michelle Howarth, and C. Philip Wheater
Abstract A biodiverse natural environment is a health-promoting resource. A
given habitat can simultaneously provide multiple ecosystem (and therefore health)
benefits, both directly through, for example, flood risk mitigation and cooling, and
indirectly as a resource for cultural and physical activities. The single biggest priority for public health is to work across governments and countries to protect biodiverse natural resources and introduce measures to stem climate change. At a more
local level, public health professionals are responsible for devising strategies to promote sustainable lifestyles and facilitate access to natural environments. Modern
public health emphasises the reduction of avoidable differences in ill health between
the most and least well-off in society. Such strategies therefore need to target those
from socio-economically deprived areas, who are most at risk of ill health. Schemes
such as nature-based social prescribing or community referral give local commissioners of health services the opportunity to bring people into contact with nature.
Those with responsibility for the provision of nature-based schemes should be
encouraged to use interventions that bring people into active, rather than passive,
contact with nature. Further, targeting such interventions towards exposure to environments with the greatest biodiversity is likely to offer the greatest benefits for
human health.
Keywords Public health, biodiversity, climate change · Socio-economic status ·
Health inequalities · Nature-based social prescribing · Green care · Salutogenesis ·
Community referral · Asset based approach
P. A. Cook (*) · M. Howarth
School of Health and Society, University of Salford, Salford, UK
e-mail: p.a.cook@salford.ac.uk; M.L.Howarth2@salford.ac.uk
C. P. Wheater
Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University,
Manchester, UK
e-mail: p.wheater@mmu.ac.uk