HBS107 Lecture 7: Environmental Determinants Lecture and Textbook Notes
HBS107 Week Seven
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINANTS
Just as there are social determinants that affect our health, there are environmental factors
that positively and negatively affect our health. We think about our environment in two
ways:
• Natural environment - land, water, biodiversity, flora and fauna.
• Urban (built) environment - buildings and parks.
We take from the natural environment to build the urban environment. If we keep taking at
the rate we are without replenishing the natural environment, we will use up the natural
resources and struggle to build the urban environments.
As well as being a resource, the natural environment has a direct impact on the health of
our bodies. As humans we require connection with the natural environment for optimum
health.
HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU ARE OUTSIDE AMONGST NATURE:
A famous Harvard biologist, Edward Wilson, observing the human tendency to crave contact
with nature, developed an explanation for it, which he called the 'biophilia hypothesis'.
Basically, his thesis was that humans have lived in close contact with other species
throughout human existence, and it is really only in the last 250 years that we have become
separated from nature. Wilson reasoned that this change has occurred too quickly for us to
have evolved enough to adapt to the change. Wilson's argument that humans continue to
crave contact with nature seems to be well supported anecdotally, for example,:
• During the January school holidays, a large number of holiday makers flock to areas
with natural environments i.e. beaches and national parks.
• Our love of water sports, i.e. surfing, fishing, swimming in summer
• House prices tend to be higher in green leafy streets and suburbs or homes with views
(water, parkland etc.) than those without views or natural environments.
But it is also supported by empirical evidence:
• In 2009, Australians over $3.75 billion on garden-related items and services.
• Annually over 5.4 million Australians aged 16 years and over visit botanical gardens
and 5.7 million visit zoo's/wildlife parks.
• $2.8 billion was spent on camping and sporting environment (bikes, canoes, skis,
fishing tackle, camping equipment etc.
Environmental deprivation (lack of time spent among our natural flora and fauna) can be
alleviated by: viewing nature, being in nature, contact with plants and contact with animals.
WHAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON TO IMPROVE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE
ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH:
In Australia and other Western societies, the problem relates to:
1. How we produce food.
2. How we design our communities.
3. How we move around.
4. How we generate energy.
5. How we consume.
6. How we engage with nature.
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CONNECTIONS WITH OUR ENVIRONMENTS AND RAISING CONCERNS ABOUT
SUSTAINABILITY:
Delhi is the most polluted city in the world.
• 19 million residents are affected by pollution.
• There are times when schools are closed and people are asked to stay indoors because
of the pollution
• Cars crash due to poor visibility
• There is an increase of hospital admissions due to respiratory illnesses.
The pollution in Delhi is due to an ancient farming technique and modern urban living.
"Crops being burnt at the farms outside of Delhi, poor enforcement on industry with
pollution control, construction and car usage. The increasingly polluted air means people
spend more time indoors, which increases energy demand from lighting and air
conditioning, leading to more coal and wood use. That creates a feedback loop that
exacerbates the whole situation' (Irfan 2017).
This is an example of a city experiencing poor air quality directly created by humans. This
pollution has negative physical, social, economic and emotional impacts on health.
HUMAN IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
Ecological footprint - if everyone lived like an average Australian - we would need FOUR
planets.
An ecological footprint is the area of biologically productive space required per person in
order to maintain their current lifestyle (Hancock 2000). Consuming as we do at the rate we
are, is not sustainable, we do not have FOUR Earths to live from.
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION:
The deterioration of the environment through consumption. "Humans are 'eating away at
our own life support systems' at a rate unseen in the past 10,000 years by degrading land
and freshwater systems, emitting greenhouse gases and releasing vast amounts of
agricultural chemicals into the environment" (The Guardian, 2016).
The millennium ecosystem assessment found that "the global area of forest systems has
been reduced by 50% over the past three centuries. Forests have effectively disappeared in
25 countries, and another 29 have lost more than 90% of their forest cover. About 4.6
billion people depend for all or some of their water on supplies from forest systems" (MEA,
2005). Deforestation in Australia is also due to development (housing, tourism) and
urbanisation. Deforestation is associated with a reduction in rainfall and loss of topsoil
which affects communities that are dependent on water and soil for growing food. The
prevalence of a number of infectious diseases appears to be growing, and environmental
changes such as deforestation, dam construction, road building, agricultural conversion, and
urbanisation are contributing factors in many cases (MEA, 2005).
RISING GREENHOUSE GAS LEVELS ARE TRIGGERING CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL
CHANGES THAT WILL AFFECT HUMAN HEALTH IN MANY WAYS:
Climate change puts at risk the fundamental determinants of health.
Direct:
• Heat exhaustion, cramps, heart attacks, stroke.
• Decreased food yields
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Just as there are social determinants that affect our health, there are environmental factors that positively and negatively affect our health. We think about our environment in two ways: natural environment - land, water, biodiversity, flora and fauna, urban (built) environment - buildings and parks. We take from the natural environment to build the urban environment. If we keep taking at the rate we are without replenishing the natural environment, we will use up the natural resources and struggle to build the urban environments. As well as being a resource, the natural environment has a direct impact on the health of our bodies. As humans we require connection with the natural environment for optimum health. How do you feel when you are outside amongst nature: A famous harvard biologist, edward wilson, observing the human tendency to crave contact with nature, developed an explanation for it, which he called the "biophilia hypothesis".
