Advancing an environmentally responsible physiotherapy

 

The world faces complex and interrelated crises… Climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, rapid urbanization, geopolitical conflict and militarization, demographic change, population displacement, poverty, and widespread inequity create risks of future crises even more severe than those experienced today. Responses require investments that integrate planetary, societal, community and individual health and well-being (WHO 2021 Geneva Charter for Wellbeing)

 

 The impact of human activities on our planet’s natural systems has been intensifying rapidly in the past several decades, leading to disruption and transformation of most natural systems. These disruptions in the atmosphere, oceans, and across the terrestrial land surface are not only driving species to extinction, they pose serious threats to human health and wellbeing. Characterising and addressing these threats requires a paradigm shift (Myers, 2017)

Action at the level of direct drivers of nature decline, although necessary, is not sufficient … a sustainable global future’ is ‘only possible with urgent transformative change that tackles the root causes: the interconnected economic, socio-cultural, demographic, political, institutional, and technological indirect drivers behind the direct drivers (Diaz et al., 2019)

About

An international community of academics, clinicians, practitioners and students interested in exploring and advancing the field of environmental physiotherapy. 

Blog

Follow our latest musings on environmental physiotherapy. Ideas, inspiration, news, publications, events, and more. 

Join

Become part of the first international community of physiotherapists with an interest in researching, developing, and practising physiotherapy at a planetary scale. 

Resources

A growing selection of resources carefully selected by members of the EPA to inspire your thinking and practice of environmental physiotherapy. 

Books that have guided my transformative change towards planetary justice

I recently chatted with a colleague about books that have changed our lives (1). It was literally a 2-minute conversation, but the idea of the impact of books still lingers in my mind. Counterintuitively, the readings that have had the most positive impact on my...

Umwelteinflüsse und ihre Bedeutung im diagnostischen Prozess in der Physiotherapie

Die Umwelt und der Mensch können nicht losgelöst voneinander betrachtet oder analysiert werden. Auch wenn Umwelt auf den ersten Blick abstrakt und fern wirkt, hat sie doch durchgehend einen fundamentalen Anteil an der menschlichen Entwicklung im physischen, kognitiven...

Physiotherapy in Austere and Extreme Medicine

The increasing commercialization of expeditions has led to the widespread inclusion of medical personnel to support remote challenges. While critical illness and injury remain relatively uncommon in these settings, minor musculoskeletal injuries, repetitive strain,...

Physiotherapy and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration?

Though the official launch is scheduled for World Environment Day on 5 June 2021, this year marks the beginning of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. This United Nations effort is based on the recognition that 'there has never been a more urgent need to restore...

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