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. 

Introducing the International Environmental Allied Health Journal Club

I'm really excited to introduce the International Environmental Allied Health Journal Club! The purpose of the group is to support people interested in environmental health in staying up-to-date with developments in the evidence base, and to have interesting...

A student project to increase active transport use at a university campus

In their final year of training, undergraduate physiotherapy students at the University of South Australia develop their skills and knowledge in health promotion through experiential learning.  The students apply concepts and theory of health promotion to a project...

Co-creating health and wellbeing

“At least I can still become an Adaptive Surfer!” As I surface in ICU a flash of hope captures my imagination, lifts my spirits, and draws me forward with the promise of adventure. Lying flat ‘splat’ on my back my worldview is limited to perforated ceiling tiles and...

Un taller de fisioterapia sostenible en la Facultat de Fisioteràpia en la Universitat de València

El lunes 19 de junio 2023, un grupo de estudiantes de Grado, Máster y Doctorado de Fisioterapia de la Universitat de València asistieron durante todo el día a un taller sobre Fisioterapia Medioambiental. El taller se organizó gracias a los esfuerzos del Comisión de...

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

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