"Friluftliv" PoA pledge (April, 5th): Message from Julio Konrath (Planetary Health Alliance) to Populations and Managers of Sustainable Cities

"Friluftliv" PoA pledge (April, 5th)

Message from Julio Konrath (Planetary Health Alliance) to Populations and Managers of Sustainable Cities:

In order to stimulate discussion on how each of us can incorporate the principles of planetary health expressed in the São Paulo Declaration into our profession, the Planetary Health Alliance (PHAN, 2021) invites each of us to affirm our commitment to planetary health, on that of World Planetary Health Day on April 5, 2022. In this sense, actions to promote improved mobility and encourage non-motorized displacement in public spaces can generate benefits in the short, medium and long term, not only in terms of quality of individual life, but also in public health. According to James Gallagher (BBC Health and Science Reporter), the study conducted by the team of Prof. Althoff at Stanford University-USA (2017), which monitored the average number of steps per day taken by humans collected from smartphone data on a planetary scale, point out that despite the high inequality of access to transport, Brazil was among the last places - it reached an average of 4,289 daily steps! The same study points out that in North American countries - USA and Mexico, where the average is much lower than in Asian countries - Japan and China, obesity levels are much higher, and consequently, the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases.

According to award-winning journalist and adventurer Bill Brysson (A Walk in the Forest, 1999), the average North American walks about 2.2 km per week, that is, just over 300 meters per day, and in more than 90% of the ways Americans leave their homes, they do so by car. In this country seen as a “model of development”, most teenagers over 16 have their own car or motorcycle and will soon become a sick generation. But, paradoxically, that same country also helped popularize the antidote to modernity – nature conservation, sports and the cult of the outdoors. Currently, Brazil has an enviable System of Nature Conservation Units and several of our large cities have their own urban or natural parks. However, in an increasingly urbanized world - whose projections indicate that it will double or triple by 2050, to mitigate and adapt against the impacts of climate change, in addition to a well-managed system of squares and parks, the cities of the future must count on with a comprehensive network of Urban Green Areas – which includes an effective urban afforestation of public roads and sidewalks – which promotes thermal comfort, water regulation and a healthier urban lifestyle. With that in mind, the collective @arqpoa proposes the “PoA Photographic Walk of the Green Tunnels* (Law 11.292/2012)”, in (posthumous) celebration of the 250th anniversary of Porto Alegre, as a triggering activity for this Plan of Action for Planetary Sustainability (ODS 11+3+15).

We all live together in an interconnected world and the actions of each of us inspire others. Therefore, together, we commit to dedicating our lives to the service of humanity and to the protection and restoration of the natural systems on which humans and all other species that share our home depend. We invite you to consider yourself a partner in healing the planet. We, the planetary health community gathered for the São Paulo Declaration in April 2021, urge all concerned to take urgent and decisive action to achieve the Great Transition. The recommendations addressed to various segments of human society are an ethical compass that guides us towards the most promising directions in order to support a more just and resilient post-pandemic world. We cannot work or live in domes, so catalyzing and implementing fundamental changes to the way we inhabit the Earth is something that will require systemic partnerships. While everyone has their unique role, only by working together as a global community, rooted in the principles of planetary health, can we co-create ways to achieve the Great Transition.

Recognizing that most of humanity now lives in cities and that this trend will continue with much of the future growth of the world's population predicted to take place in cities in developing economies, as cult designer Dror Benshetrir well warned on a recent visit to our capital, passes by the challenge of designing cities that achieve their potential to drastically reduce our environmental impact and increase biodiversity, while optimizing the physical and mental health of their inhabitants. That encourage green buildings and the more efficient use of energy, in neighborhoods designed with more outdoor spaces and optimized for active transport, that ensure accessible public transport for all inhabitants, in a way that reduces car use and promotes equality.

Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to repeat the final words of the Planetary Health Commitment, which in my view is not limited to the area of Health, but to all professionals, in the Anthropocene: (...) I will strive to the users of my work and to society at large, incorporating the principles of planetary health into my own life and recognizing that this requires maintaining the vitality of our common home. I pledge not to use my knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat; recognizing that the human right to health requires the maintenance of planetary health. I make these promises solemnly, freely, and on my honor. In making this commitment, I am committing to a vision of personal, community and planetary health that will allow the diversity of life on our planet to thrive now and in the future.”