Vision Point Global Arena

Fifty years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This definition should serve as a reminder that redefining the view of environmental health and the natural environment requires many shifts in thinking, as well as a willingness to pursue a diversity of approaches. Health is believed to be influenced by both ecological (aggregate) as well as individual characteristics, yet much large scale sociological and geographic research focuses on either the individual or his environment. In Western societies, the relevance of the environment to health has become obscured or it is narrowed, relating specifically to toxic, infectious or allergenic agents and broader psychosocial mechanisms are rarely given importance. On the other hand, it becomes evident that a more strategic approach needs to be found, enabling environment and health to be related, namely in what concerns contemporary health. At this respect, it is also important that researchers from different disciplines and methodological backgrounds are able to work together to maximize the value of each approach to the research and to health promotion. Human health and wellbeing are fundamentally linked to the state of the environment, from the air we breathe, to the water we drink or swim in, to the land we grow our food and build our homes on, and through our experiences of the sounds and smells around us. The best-known health impacts are related to ambient air pollution, poor water quality and insufficient sanitation. Among these threats are an increasing incidence of cancer caused by pollution of air, land and water as well as outbreaks of infectious disease caused by habitat disruption. The world changes and it is important to analyze the relevance of the environment to health at the light of different factors. Increasing evidence exists that human health is influenced by our way