For decades now, as human beings, we have placed ourselves at the centre of the universe. It is only in recent years that we’ve realised that our existence is at stake. In the face of climate change, governments across the world have started to discuss potential measures in an effort to protect human existence. However, we all know that those aren’t nearly enough. We cannot expect mankind to survive if we look at our needs and expertise in isolation. We must turn the lens away from us, zoom out and look at the bigger picture, and work across disciplines to be able to make life on earth possible for future generations. This is precisely what we aim to achieve at the Trialogue Days—Planetary Health from Different Perspectives. The essence of this event lies in our efforts to enable people to expand their thinking by taking into account knowledge from other disciplines across different settings and generations.

Human health depends on environmental and animal well being, as well as halting and eventually reversing global warming and climate change. All our actions and behaviours determine the possibility of future life on the planet and are closely interlinked. The goal of Trialogue Days is to develop relatable and actionable measures and commit to addressing issues by implementing these initiatives.

The ongoing climate crisis is manifesting itself more and more strongly and in many ways. Let’s look at this through a few examples. Burning fossil fuels, which started with the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century and is considered to be the start of global warming, contributes to air pollution, which then exacerbates respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Pollution also affects the entire ecosystem cycle—it reduces soil and water quality, harms wildlife and shrinks agricultural productivity. This then leads to a loss of natural habitats which further leads to loss of biodiversity and an increase in risk of zoonotic diseases (diseases that have their origin in a non-human species but can crossover to humans, such as the Covid-19 virus) and disease outbreaks, which have massive consequences for human and animal health. Another example of a global issue that can only be effectively addressed through the Planetary- and One Health-approaches due to its complex nature is antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Then there is the matter of extreme weather—one of the most visible effects of climate change that we experience in our daily lives. People are moving across borders due to forced migration caused by an increase in extreme weather events, and the impacts of climate change such as prolonged drought periods and shifted monsoons which render agricultural livelihoods impossible. This disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries because they are least equipped to deal with the consequences due to poor public infrastructure and lack of support from the government. This issue again needs to be looked at from different perspectives across disciplines.

From December 1 to December 5, a multidisciplinary gathering of experts and innovators from diverse global backgrounds will work together to engage in discussions on planetary health. Experts in human health, biodiversity, and sustainability from India, Switzerland and Uganda will exchange ideas to enable a holistic understanding of the challenges affecting our planet. Over the course of five days, the dialogue will aim to stimulate the generation of innovative solutions and inspire new strategies by way of collaboration and knowledge sharing. Participants will not only present their research but, above all, will be encouraged to step out of their comfort zones to tackle unfamiliar contexts and take collective responsibility.

I. Young Minds at the Forefront

If you’re a Bachelor’s, Master’s or a PhD student from India, Uganda or Switzerland, you can participate in the Trialogue Days by applying here with your research and ideas in an elevator pitch format.

II. Planetary Book

Don’t worry if you don’t have a pitch. If you care about the planet and its overall health and also have burning questions that nobody’s answering, we can help. Ask your questions here and we’ll publish them with responses from experts participating in the Trialogue Days in a book about planetary health in collaboration with Pratham Books.

III. #PlanetRoast Challenge

We’re going to air out our frustrations with the planet, with pollution, with food shortage, anything that we don’t understand about the state of our planet right now. And then in a few months, researchers from Switzerland, India, Uganda and other countries will work on answering those in an illustrated book.

What are the rules, you ask?

1. Fill out this form with your question about planetary health.

2. Upload a video of yourself “roasting” the planet on LinkedIn, Instagram or Youtube.

3. Tag us @SwissnexinIndia on Instagram and LinkedIn.

4. Use the hashtags #PlanetRoast & #PlanetaryHealth