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. 

Connaissances, sensibilisation et perception du Masseur-Kinésithérapeute dans le changement climatique et son impact sur la sante

La plus grande menace du XXIème siècle, le changement climatique, a déjà de graves conséquences modifiant la face du monde. Ces effets nuisent gravement à la santé humaine avec l'émergence et l'accentuation de pathologies pouvant être observées sur tous les...

Nature-connectedness as a tool in physiotherapy

Many have published here their thoughts and experiences about bringing physiotherapy outdoors, in natural spaces or urban green spaces. But what is it about these spaces that can improve the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions? Is it as obvious as we might...

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...

Occupational Therapists for Environmental Action

The Occupational Therapists for Environmental Action (OTEA) is an American network of occupational therapy (OT) practitioners, researchers, educators, and students advocating for the profession to address climate change. Occupations are everyday activities that...

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