Today, talking about health also means talking about the environment. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and even the climate we live in directly affect our well-being. This is the logic behind the One Health approach, which connects human, animal, and ecosystem health, and Planetary Health, which broadens the perspective to the health of the planet as a fundamental condition for our own.
According to the World Health Organization, millions of premature deaths each year are linked to environmental factors. Air pollution, heatwaves, biodiversity loss, and food quality are challenges that deeply affect public health. These are not distant or abstract problems—they are part of daily life in our cities and communities.
Prevention is essential, but adapting to ongoing changes has become equally urgent. This requires climate adaptation plans and strategies to make cities and territories more resilient in the face of extreme events, droughts, and environmental crises. Such measures are concrete tools to protect collective health and ensure quality of life.
The relationship between health and the environment now drives the work of Fondazione Ecosistemi, guiding efforts to prevent risks and adapt to climate change. Key activities include protecting public health by addressing environmental factors such as pollution, climate change, and food quality, and studying adaptation strategies to reduce the negative impacts of ongoing environmental transformations. These initiatives provide data, tools, and analyses to institutions, communities, and businesses, helping to safeguard collective health and make cities and territories more resilient and sustainable.
Health and the environment can no longer be treated as separate fields. Placing sustainability at the heart of health policies and health at the heart of environmental policies is key to building a fairer and safer future. The direction is clear: no health without a healthy planet. Protecting the environment means protecting ourselves—today and tomorrow. This shift in perspective concerns everyone: governments, institutions, businesses, communities, and citizens.
