Operationalizing One Health for the Survival of the Planet and Humanities

Abstract

Southeast Asia is home to terrestrial and marine ecosystems, including species and genetic diversity of plants, animals and microbes. Biodiversity values clearly serve human well-being for utilitarian, esthetic, ecological and moral purposes. However, recent reports from international organization and committees are all pointing at the 2 major issues, Climate change and biodiversity loss. UNEP added the existing environmental pollutions and called it ‘the triple planetary crisis. There are clear scientific evidences cited in recent reports that the global population will reach 9.5 billion in 2050, and human have been putting extreme pressure on the planet and caused severe consequences such as degradation of landscape and sea scape, extinction of species, disease emergence, and global warming. The Living Planet Report 2020 by WWF addressed how humanity’s destruction of nature is having catastrophic impacts not only on wildlife populations, but also human health, economics and well-being. UNESCAP is calling out for safeguarding the ecosystems’ health for the sustainable future development and environment. IPBES-IPCC report, UNESCAP Policy Brief, UNEP report are all recommending us that human must make peace with nature and forge a new relationship with the planet. If the planet survives, humanities survive, too. One Health approach has been suggested as a guiding principle to be operationalized at all level, for scientific community, policy-making community as well as general public and individual citizens.