Poor mental health is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease but there is poor understanding of how it is influenced by people's interactions with ecological systems. In a theory-generating case study we asked how interactions with ecosystems were perceived to influence stressors associated with psychological distress in a rural setting in Uganda. We conducted and thematically analysed 45 semi-structured interviews with residents of Nyabyeya Parish. Poverty and food insecurity were the primary reported causes of ‘thinking too much’ and related idioms suggesting psychological distress. Households bordering a conservation area reported that crop losses from wildlife contributed to food insecurity. However, forest resources represented important safety nets for those facing poverty and food insecurity. Commercial agricultural expansion also emerged as a salient theme in the lives of residents, reportedly exacerbating poverty and food insecurity amongst poorer households but contributing incomes to wealthier ones. Our exploratory study suggests how two globally prevalent land uses, nature conservation and commercial agriculture, may influence social determinants of psychological distress in the study area. We highlight co-benefits and trade-offs between global sustainability goals that could be managed to improve mental health.

The United Nations’ Agenda 2030 provides a framework of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve peace and prosperity for people and planet, now and into the future(1). The United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition emphasises that food and nutrition are key levers for optimising both human and planetary health and that individuals working in food, nutrition and health play an essential role in contributing to the SDGs(2,3). This project aimed to (i) map the work being done by staff and higher degree students at Monash University’s Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food and its alignment with the SDGs, and (ii) assess the impact of this process on workforce capacity to embed the SDGs in future work activities. Three mapping workshops; one pilot, one in-person and one online, were conducted (n = 28), beginning with a short expert-led seminar about the SDGs before participants engaged in an interactive activity to record their work activities (research, education or engagement) relating to the SDGs. Mapping data were analysed to determine which SDGs were being prioritised and in what type of activities. To determine the impact on workforce capacity, participants completed pre- and post-workshop surveys that assessed their knowledge of and confidence regarding the SDGs. From the three workshops, 129 work activities were described, each linked to one or more of the SDGs. Of those, 41% were education, 36% were research, and 23% were engagement activities. Work activities spanned all 17 of the SDGs, with the most commonly aligned being Goal 3 Good Health and Wellbeing (53% of work activities), Goal 10 Reduced Inequalities (37% of work activities), Goal 4 Quality Education (36% of work activities), Goal 12 Responsible Consumption and Production (34% of work activities), and Goal 17 Partnerships for the Goals (27% of work activities). The pre- and post-workshop surveys indicated increased staff knowledge and confidence related to the SDGs. The percentage of participants that could correctly identify the number of SDGs increased from 43% to 96%, and the percentage of participants that recognised the correct aim of the SDGs increased from 43% to 86%. Regarding confidence in talking about the SDGs, the percentage of staff who indicated that they ‘avoid talking about them’ or are ‘not confident’ decreased from 39% to 4%, and the number of staff who were confident talking about the SDGs ‘in general terms’ increased from 39% to 75%. Nutrition professionals are well-placed to support progress towards each of the SDGs. Workshops such as these provide an opportunity to increase workforce capacity to discuss, share and relate their work to the SDGs and provide a periodic pulse-check to identify opportunities for greater contribution to this urgent, global Agenda.

Climate change significantly impacts our planet’s health, ecosystems, plants, animals and humans, increasing extreme weather events and the incidence and prevalence of infectious diseases, including zoonotic diseases. We reviewed the environmental changes affecting human, animal and planetary health and conducted a bibliometric analysis from 2012 to 22 that included these components. We identified 448 publications published on the topic throughout that period. Then, we reflected on the Research Directions question: How can we improve and facilitate multi-sectoral collaboration in warning and response systems for infectious diseases and natural hazards to account for their drivers, interdependencies and cascading impacts? The bibliometric analysis of planetary health has shown increasing interest among researchers since 2017, peaking in 2022. Lancet Planetary Health was the journal with more published articles; The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine was the best-placed institution, and The United States led in topic-related publications. On the other hand, the climatic and pandemic global environmental crises demand fostered surveillance, which should concentrate on the drivers of disease, giving signals that account for human and animal health and environmental degradation. In response to global crises, higher education curricula should integrate One Health and Planetary Health approaches to achieve transdisciplinary thinking, allowing transcend knowledge, research and observation into action.

Globally, diet quality is poor, with populations failing to achieve national dietary guidelines. Such failure has been consistently linked with malnutrition and poorer health outcomes. In addition to the impact of diet on health outcomes, it is now accepted that what we eat, and the resulting food system, has significant environmental or planetary health impacts. Changes are required to our food systems to reduce these impacts and mitigate the impact of climate change on our food supply. Given the complexity of the interactions between climate change, food and health, and the different actors and drivers that influence these, a systems-thinking approach to capture such complexity is essential. Such an approach will help address the challenges set by the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development in the form of the sustainable development goals (SDG). Progress against SDG has been challenging, with an ultimate target of 2030. While the scientific uncertainties regarding diet and public and planetary health need to be addressed, equal attention needs to be paid to the structures and systems, as there is a need for multi-level, coherent and sustained structural interventions and policies across the full food system/supply chain to effect behaviour change. Such systems-level change must always keep nutritional status, including impact on micronutrient status, in mind. However, benefits to both population and environmental health could be expected from achieving dietary behaviour change towards more sustainable diets.

The health of the planet and its life forms are under threat from anthropogenic climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, and the extreme weather events, heatwaves and wildfires that accompany them. The burgeoning field of planetary health studies the interplay between humanity and the Earth's biosphere and ecosystems on which human health depends. Scholarship on law from a planetary health vantage point remains scarce. This article fills this gap by delineating the conceptual building blocks of a planetary health law, which, in its latent form, is dispersed across various hard and soft sources of international environmental law and global health law that converge on the right to a healthy environment, and, to a lesser extent, rights of nature emerging in various domestic jurisdictions. It elucidates how the fragmented regimes of international environmental and global health law could be developed in more coherent ways, driven by an overarching concern for the integrity of the planetary foundations of life.

The gut microbiome is a key element for health preservation and disease prevention. Nevertheless, defining a healthy gut microbiome is complex since it is modulated by several factors, such as host genetics, sex, age, geographical zone, drug use, and, especially, diet. Although a healthy diet has proven to increase microbial alpha and beta diversity and to promote the proliferation of health-related bacteria, considering the current environmental and nutritional crisis, such as climate change, water shortage, loss of diversity, and the obesity pandemic, it should be highlighted that a healthy diet is not always sustainable. Sustainable diets are dietary patterns that promote all dimensions of people’s health and well-being while exerting low pressure on the environment, and being accessible, affordable, safe, equitable, and culturally acceptable. Examples of diets that tend to be sustainable are the Planetary Health Diet of the EAT-Lancet Commission or territorial diets such as the Mediterranean and the Traditional Mexican diet (milpa diet), adapted to specific contexts. These diets are principally plant-based but include small or moderate amounts of animal-based foods. Characterising the effects of sustainable diets on gut microbiota is urgent to ensure that the benefits for human health are aligned with environmental preservation and respect the sociocultural aspects of individuals.

This case report discusses a 25-year-old male who was referred to community mental health services from primary care with symptoms of anxiety and depression related to climate change, which the referring clinician believed were of delusional intensity. This case report gives the history of his interaction with the service. A literature review is performed noting the dearth of case reports in this area and a subsequent discussion charts the emerging literature on mental health issues related to climate change. Finally the paper makes some broad recommendations for mental health practitioners on how to approach these issues.

Nutrition scientists are currently facing a substantial challenge: to feed the world population sustainably and ethically while supporting the health of all individuals, animals and the environment. The Nutrition Society of Australia's 2022 Annual Scientific meeting theme ‘Sustainable nutrition for a healthy life’ was a timely conference focusing on the environmental impact of global, national and local food systems, how nutrition science can promote sustainable eating practices while respecting cultural and culinary diversity and how to ensure optimal nutrition throughout life to prevent and manage chronic diseases. Comprehensive, diverse, collaborative and forward-thinking research was presented in a 3 d programme of keynote presentations, oral and poster sessions, breakfast and lunch symposiums, ending with a panel discussion to answer the question of how we can best achieve a nutritious food supply that supports human and planetary health. We concluded that this complex issue necessitates coordinated efforts and multi-faceted responses at local, national and global levels. Collaboration among consumers, scientists, industry and government using a systems approach is vital for finding solutions to this challenge.

The world is waking up to the reality of climate change and the challenge of feeding 10 billion people in a healthy and sustainable way. For population and planetary health, food systems need to change. ‘Food and nutrition: pathways to a sustainable future’ was the first face-to-face Nutrition Society Summer Conference since 2018, bringing together leading contributors from across the globe to explore six pathways to a better tomorrow. Review papers from the conference symposia cut across disciplinary divides showcasing advances in scientific methods and our cumulative understanding of the impact of the food system on climate change. The depth, breadth and advancement of research presented demonstrate the power of collaborative research that can shape industry, individual and population recommendations and create a powerful shift towards the sustainable dietary patterns and systems that are so urgently required.

The past 20 years have seen the disappearance and degradation of biodiversity on earth at unprecedented rates. This phenomenon shares similar drivers to those behind climate change yet requires its own solutions. The twin catastrophes of climate change and biodiversity loss demonstrate how our health is bound up in the vitality of this planet. There has been an increasing effort on the part of healthcare professionals to appreciate this relationship, as evidenced by the growing influence of planetary health as a discipline. However, the health impacts of biodiversity loss have been less focused on than those brought on by climate change. Psychiatry's appreciation of the interface between environments and our health, alongside the evidence for the connection between nature and mental health specifically, prompt psychiatrists to ensure that the institution of healthcare throws its influence equally behind solutions to climate change as well as biodiversity loss.