V Ramanatha Rao*
The world today faces both climate change and biodiversity loss, which are interlinked. They influence human health, nutrition, and food security. Studies have shown that any one of these problems cannot be tackled without addressing the others; solving them requires cooperation and collaboration between researchers, institutions (both governmental and nongovernmental), policymakers, and others.
Such a multidimensional challenge requires a holistic approach for sustainable development, intended to address the well-being of current and future generations. A fine balance needs to be achieved among various actions, and this may require that we humans learn to limit or sacrifice our needs in some areas to enable gains in other areas.
This blog attempts to address those issues. It will be presented in three parts, published at fortnightly intervals. In Part 1, we briefly describe the complexities and interconnections of these elements. Part 2 will list some challenges in achieving a balance and harmony among the elements. Part 3 will present some examples of the experience gained so far in strategies that use an integrated approach to development.
Environmental Health and Biodiversity: The relationship between environment and biodiversity is integral, as they are interdependent. The environment provides the necessary habitat and resources that support various forms of life, while biodiversity contributes to the resilience and functionality of environmental ecosystems. Hence, the state in which our environment is maintained—which includes air, water, soil, and other aspects—is vital, in that it affects human nutrition and health, as well the ecosystems that support it. Overall, a healthy environment typically supports a rich biodiversity, and preserving this balance is essential for the sustainability of both natural ecosystems and human societies. It ensures ecosystem resilience, providing services such as pollination, soil fertility, water purification, and climate regulation. A healthy ecosystem promotes biodiversity, which in turn affect food security and dietary diversity, thus protecting human health. However, such biodiversity is being increasingly threatened by human activities, which include land-use change, air-water-soil pollution, and global warming. A changing climate makes it more difficult to maintain a rich biodiversity.
Human Nutrition, Health, and Food Security: Nutrition and health are intrinsically linked to food security, which is defined as having reliable access to food that is adequate, affordable, and nutritious. Food security is both a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of public health. Those linkages form a complex web that influences both individual well-being and community resilience. Achieving food security has been a challenge, however, owing to increasing population, economic disparities, and environmental degradation. Successful interventions in one area (such as improving nutrition) can have positive ripple effects on the others (enhancing health and food security). Programmes that improve local agricultural systems can enhance food security and access to nutrition, subsequently improving community health.
The Interconnectedness: The interconnectedness of environmental health, biodiversity, health, food security, and nutrition is thus evident. Healthy ecosystems support diverse food systems, which in turn provide the nutrients necessary for human health. For instance, a decline in pollinator populations can reduce crop yields, affecting food availability and quality. Poor/degraded soil can result in food products with reduced nutritional quality, threatening nutritional security.
Understanding the interconnectedness of environmental health, biodiversity, health, and food and nutrition security is the basis for resolving the problems the world faces.
The challenges in achieving a balance or harmony among those elements will be described in Part 2 of this blog (to be released next fortnight).
The author wishes to acknowledge and thank C.L. Laxmipathi Gowda, M.J. Vasudeva Rao, and S.V.R. Shetty for their comments on a draft version of this 3-part blog, and D.R. Mohan Raj for his editorial guidance and help.