Prioritising Planetary Health

Health is not just about us as individuals. It’s about the whole planet. It’s time we think about health on a worldwide scale. Professor Jemilah Mahmood is Executive Director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health at our old friends Sunway University, in Malaysia. As a medical professional who has helped deliver 15,000 babies(!), she knows healthcare from the personal level. But she also has decades of experience managing crises in health, disaster and conflict settings. Jemilah talks us through her career and how watching a woman stranded with her newborn baby in a tree above crocodile-infested floodwaters in Mozambique led her to focus on equity and justice, helping those affected by conflict and disasters. She tells us about the concept of planetary health – and the similarities and differences to the one health agenda; the role of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health as a ‘think-and-do-tank’, which includes experts from across multiple disciplines; and how those who make the least impact on the environment are often those worst affected by the changing climate. We look at the links between planetary health and the planetary boundaries; the concept of Return on Value, rather than Return on Investment; the importance of planetary health concepts in a university education; and the world-leading National Planetary Health Action Plan in Malaysia, and how it aligns economic growth with environmental resilience and societal well-being. Plus, Paul reveals strongly held beliefs on brown rice; Jemilah emerges as a proponent of the living to eat mentality; Jan questions her energy levels; and we look at the power of optimism, agency and the next generation. For more on the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, see here: https://www.sunwayplanetaryhealth.com.my/ This is the Malaysian National Planetary Health Action Plan: https://www.akademisains.gov.my/nphap-full-report/ And see what it takes to move from return on investment to return on values here: https://sunwayuniversity.edu.my/sites/default/files/documents/2025-06/roi_rov_prospectus.pdf Episode Transcript