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. 

Access to nature is an important health issue

Nature and outdoor recreation are important for public health. As a health promotion endeavor, physiotherapists should engage in public health work and policymaking to secure the public (and thereby patients) easy access to green and blue environments. This piece...

Training beyond the health sciences to promote ecologically grounded physiotherapy

Humans are intrinsically and dynamically tied to the environment. Not only do we shape the environment that we inhabit, but the environment also shapes our behaviours. Of particular relevance to physiotherapists, the environment influences human motor behaviour. J.J....

A new way to think about physiotherapy

As a physio, I’ve always been drawn to lung disease, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say I’m drawn to people who are suffering with lung diseases.  But then that’s not exactly right either, because I’m really fascinated by how the lungs work (did you know that...

Hand in Hand We Can Make a Change: EPT student activities at Qatar University

Nature is a masterpiece, a symphony of colors, sounds, and scents. There is no doubt that this beauty is fading over time. Isn’t it time to start making a difference in our environment? At Qatar university, we are increasing our efforts in implementing environmental...

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

10 + 9 =