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. 

The Uprising part 2 – A regional roundtables event

Join other EPA members from your region for our second round of regional roundtables to share experiences, get inspired and get involved in the EPA!  The Uprising pt 2 – A regional roundtables event Monday 8 June – Saturday 20 June 2026 Since the launch of the...

The History of Light Therapy

Historically, light treatment has roots in ancient Egypt, India, and Greece, as “heliotherapy” (natural sunlight) for the treatment of skin diseases. Modern phototherapy (artificial light) has its origins in the latter part of the 19th century, with the observation in...

Umwelt und Gesundheit in der MSK – muskuloskelettale Physiotherapie – von der Klimakrise zu naturbasierter Physiotherapie

Seit 2024 bin ich Teil des Herausgeber:innen-Teams der MSK – Zeitschrift für muskuloskelettale Physiotherapie. Die Fachzeitschrift fokussiert sich in jeder Ausgabe auf ein Schwerpunktthema, welches mit drei Artikeln aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven beleuchtet wird....

Lost in Chaos: Dementia and Natural Disasters

When a wildfire rages or an earthquake strikes, most of us picture the visible damage—collapsed buildings, flooded streets, and families forced to leave their homes. But there is another, quieter reality that often goes unnoticed. What happens to someone who cannot...

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