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. 

Los límites planetarios: cuando el planeta dice ¡Basta!

¿Sabes cuáles son los límites planetarios? Tras el extraordinario progreso de las Ciencias de la Tierra y de los sistemas naturales durante las últimas décadas; en el 2009, un grupo de 29 científicos liderados por Johan Rockström comenzaron a definir lo que hoy se...

Environmental Physiotherapy at the CSP Conference 2025

Thanks to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Environmental Physiotherapy will be featured prominently at the upcoming CSP Conference 2025 in Newport, Wales, from 21st to 22nd November.On Saturday 22nd November from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM we will run a symposium...

Sommerhitze: Eine Gefahr für Ihre Patient*innen? Physiotherapeut*innen für Gesprächsrunde gesucht

Gemeinsam mit meinem Forschungsteam forsche ich zu Gesundheitsschutz bei Hitzeextremen in Deutschland (Projekt HAP-DE - Analyse von Hitzeaktionsplänen und gesundheitlichen Anpassungsmaßnahmen an Hitzeextreme in Deutschland, gefördert vom Umweltbundesamt). Fallstudie...

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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