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. 

Transforming Physiotherapy Education for Planetary Health: A European Exchange of Ideas, Practices, and Pathways Forward

From March 24th – 28th, over 20 educators, researchers, and leaders of Physiotherapy Departments across Europe—spanning from Portugal, Spain, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, and Denmark—joined for a powerful deep-dive...

Allied Health Professionals as agents for change: Chief Sustainability Officer’s Clinical Fellow

Over the last 10 years or more, many of us have been gradually moving towards more sustainable choices in our personal lives. Choosing greener modes of transport, making more plant-based food choices, embracing pre-loved clothing and shopping more locally. There is a...

La physiothérapie environnementale prend sa place au congrès de l’Ordre professionnel de la physiothérapie du Québec (OPPQ)

L’Ordre Professionnel de la Physiothérapie du Québec (OPPQ) se montre engagé à faire avancer la physiothérapie environnementale. Lors de son congrès qui a eu lieu le 9 et 10 novembre dernier (Congrès Physiothérapie 360°), le comité organisateur a invité Shaun Cleaver,...

Members voices: Why physiotherapists are joining the EPA and what they are already thinking and doing about environmental physiotherapy

The Environmental Physiotherapy Assocation (EPA) continues to grow by the day. Members are pouring in from all corners of the world and all areas of our profession, including students, teachers, clinicians, researchers and professional representatives, and all of them...

If you have any thoughts, ideas or questions about environmental physiotherapy,
we would love to hear from you anytime

11 + 7 =