Pollination loss removes healthy foods from global diets, increases chronic diseases causing excess deaths
Inadequate pollination has led to a 3-5% loss of fruit, vegetable, and nut production and an estimated 427,000 excess deaths annually from lost healthy food consumption and associated diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain cancers, according…
Harvard Chan School scientist shares expertise on climate change’s impact on nutrition in new book from Greta Thunberg
Samuel Myers of Harvard Chan School is among the contributors to The Climate Book, a new book created by environmental activist Greta Thunberg.
A call to action on planetary health
Planetary health experts from around the globe have issued a call to action charting a path forward to support a more equitable and resilient post-pandemic world.
How we’re harming the planet—and ourselves
Human-caused changes in the global environment, such as deforestation and air pollution, are increasingly threatening our own health and well-being, according to Harvard Chan School's Samuel Myers.
Commentary: Sharp differences between presidential candidates on environment will impact human health
The winner of the 2020 U.S. presidential election will shape environmental policy that could have a significant impact on human health around the world, according to a September 29, 2020 commentary in The Lancet. The piece, co-authored by…
‘Climate emergency’ is OED word of the year
The Oxford English Dictionary chose “climate emergency” as its word of the year for 2019, reflecting the hundred-fold increase in the phrase’s usage over the previous year. Gina McCarthy, director of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s…
Op-ed: Millions at risk as global warming saps key nutrients from crops
Staple foods such as wheat and rice are losing essential nutrients due to global warming. Experts don’t know exactly why this is happening, but they warn that if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t curtailed, millions more around the world…
CO2-driven nutrient loss in rice could lead to vast vitamin B deficiencies
Recent research has shown that rice grown under carbon dioxide levels that could be reached as soon as 2050 could lose 17-30% of its B vitamin content. A new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health…
Challenges loom as researchers look to improve diets globally
Experts estimate that one in five deaths worldwide are linked to unhealthy diets, and data from the United Nations show that people across the world are both hungrier and heavier than they were five years ago. While there…
Clinicians urged to act on planetary health
Physicians, nurses, and other clinicians were called on to help address urgent planetary health challenges in an April 19, 2019 comment in The Lancet. Co-authors of the piece included Samuel Myers, principal research scientist, planetary health, at Harvard…