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. 

Explorations at the Intersection of Art and Planetary Health

Art remains a threatened and undervalued aspect of the scientific world, with many failing to appreciate its crucial role in communicating and promoting research and ideas. The moment where art and science become interdependent underscores the growing importance of...

Park prescriptions: Moving toward greener and more socially just healthcare

Green space is not as accessible as you think Since cities started developing in North America, there has been a move to create designated green spaces, both in and outside of urban centers. Although the intention behind these efforts seems pure, the practice of...

Call for Papers for the first-ever special issue embracing Environmental Physiotherapy in Frontiers in Public Health

Ever since the founding of the EPA, environmental physiotherapy has been growing from strength to strength. We have produced over 100 academic publications of different types, written over 130 blogposts in more than 10 languages, are producing extensive resources for...

Upcoming EPT Webinar: What Do You Stand For? A Journey Into the World of Environmental Physiotherapy

What Do You Stand For? A Journey Into the World of Environmental Physiotherapy We are living in complex and challenging times. As actors in health care systems we must be prepared to act and provide our services in light of multiple social-ecological crises. Starting...

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