ABCs of Planetary Health

Follow us as we explore planetary health with the ABC’s! From A for Anthropecene to Z for Zoonotic diseases! Learn about concepts with you and your family about the role we play in keeping our planet and ourselves healthy! Global environmental changes and their health effects, such as the transmission of zoonoses, may be difficult for young children to conceptualize. However, this generation is particularly vulnerable to the health and socioeconomic impacts of environmental disruption. Further, eco-anxiety is rising due to exposure to stories of climate change and events such as bushfires and the current pandemic. Our team came together believing in the importance of providing tailored educational tools with solution-oriented resources to empower children, foster creativity, and instill hope. We believe that introducing children to the concept of planetary health, particularly our interdependencies with nature and other people around the world, will enable them to feel a sense of involvement and capability to respond to the pandemic. Further, this book aims to provide a starting point for young children to understand and harness these concepts as a way forward in an uncertain world, particularly when faced with local and global environmental challenges. This book is particularly meant for caregivers, with whom we hope children will read the book with and discuss its contents. We hope the impact of this children’s book will grow over the years as we increasingly realize our connection with each other, nature, our environment, and the planet.