Please join us for the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse’s inaugural annual Policy Symposium, titled ‘Extinction thwarted? The nexus between climate change, social equity and health’.

Humanity faces three major and interconnected challenges – climate change, social inequality and premature death and disease. Governance approaches to date have failed to address these problems, and in many cases have made the situation worse by approaching these issues and their common drivers in isolation from each other. For a governance response to be commensurate with the challenges faced by society, a more holistic approach is needed that brings disciplines and sectors together, and recognises the importance of addressing the common structural drivers of planetary health inequity.

Hosted by Prof Sharon Friel, Director of the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse, with opening remarks from ANU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Brian P. Schmidt AC, and the Honourable Ged Kearney MP, attendees will hear government, non-government and academic experts discuss the political, economic, and social dimensions of planetary health equity. Throughout the day we will explore the role of different economic models, power in policy systems, and opportunities offered by optimising climate change mitigation policies for social and health goals.

The aim of the day is not to simply describe the problem but to identify the conditions that can enable the transformation of the system towards the promotion of the equitable enjoyment of good health for all within the context of a stable, sustainable ecosystem, and shift governance practices toward a more effective modern paradigm. The symposium comprises four consecutive sessions: Setting the Scene; Follow the Money; Advancing Progressive Policy, and Thwarting Extinction: Making it Happen.