Networking for transformation: At the Planetary Health Forum. The first conference for planetary health in Germany.

Save the date: On 30 November and 1 December 2023, the Planetary Health Forum ’23 will take place at the Umweltforum in Berlin and online.

The Planetary Health Forum marks the first ever conference on planetary health in Germany. Organised by the Centre for Planetary Health Policy (CPHP) and the German Alliance on Climate Change and Health (KLUG), the forum is supported by the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU) and Stiftung Mercator.

The event is endorsed by the Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach and brings together actors from across the fields of health, climate, and environment to forge and deepen new partnerships and together accelerate the socio-ecological transformation needed.

About the event

In 2023, we are well informed about climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution, and we understand how these three interlinked planetary crises have massive health consequences. We also have the necessary knowledge and no lack of recommended courses of action to tackle these crises. What we do still lack, however, is the translation of this knowledge into effective and ambitious policymaking at all levels. Indeed, what we lack are political measures which adequately recognize the urgency of the socio-ecological transformation required while protecting and promoting health for all within planetary boundaries – both today and in the future.

„With the Planetary Health Forum ‘23, we want to accelerate our societal transformation towards planetary health. To this end, we want to create effective, innovative partnerships across sectors and bring together actors from very different fields, enabling them to work together to decisively advance the urgently needed change,“ said Dr Martin Herrmann, Chair of the German Alliance on Climate Change and Health (KLUG).

Leveraging more together

To achieve this, the Planetary Health Forum ’23 will bring together experts and decision-makers from the fields of health, environment, and climate, this includes politicians, practitioners, business people, scientists and representatives from civil society. Through the sharing of expertise, the conference will create the space to jointly develop new ideas and narratives about a planetary-healthy future and will promote discussions around the right measures and policies to achieve this goal.

The forum will also examine previous coordination efforts and political frameworks and their conditions with a view to strengthen future cooperation.

Referring to the gaps and opportunities across the Germany health policy landscape, Maike Voss, Director of the CPHP said, „At the forum, we want to explore jointly why progress is slow in certain areas, for example in the fields of urban development or nutrition, or more broadly regarding climate adaption. What are the concrete obstacles and barriers? Which solutions are already on the table and how could they be scaled up? What political framework conditions are needed? And how can we, as health, climate, and environmental actors, work together in a more targeted and better way to harness synergies and achieve maximum impact?“

Planetary Health in All Policies

Through various formats, including on-site, online and hybrid, this two-day event will be about exchanging tried and tested solutions, getting to know new perspectives, networking and jointly identifying barriers, conflicting goals and solutions to transformation. Based on the discussions at the forum, the participants, both online and on-site, will jointly develop a “Memorandum for Health within Planetary Boundaries”.

Further information on the programme, speakers, and opportunities to participate will soon be available on our website as well as our social media channels (X, LinkedIn)