News from the IAEH

Abstract

Yin-Yang is a concept that denotes balance and harmony. This Chinese philosophy recognizes that opposite forces can actually complement each other. One side of the classic Yin-Yang symbol is a mirror image of the other and together they denote a unity of opposites; a dark circle within a white background and a white circle within a dark background. The desire of Ecohealth practitioners to contribute to future Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) may best be represented by a similar balance in the consideration of human health and the environment. Based upon research emerging from the Kunming Conference, a symmetry between the ecosystem approach to health and the health approach to ecosystem may best meet the desires and challenges of current and future Ecohealth advocates. For those new to what is sometimes called, the Ecohealth lens, the ecosystem approach to health has evolved as a tagline for Ecohealth, with emphasis on considering the ecological contributions to human health. The suggestion herein is that emphasis be placed on the balanced inclusion of the health approach to ecosystem, an ecocentric consideration. Ecosystem capacity could thus be considered and integrated with health for issues such as environmental sustainability and food security; central to future SDGs. Current research on the perspectives of early-careerists in Ecohealth revealed interesting related perspectives. The assessed culture of these researchers elucidated a professional desire for direct impact on climate change; an emerging challenge for ecocentric consideration, pivotal to the future of the planet