Climate Change, Pollution, and the Health of the Poor

Philip Landrigan & Andrea Vicini (eds.), Ethical Challenges in Global Public Health: Climate Change, Pollution, and the Health of the Poor. Global Theological Ethics 1 (2021); https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/section/2386-ctewc-book-series

Global public health is the science and art of promoting good health, preventing disease, and extending longevity through the organized efforts of society. It examines the social, political, economic, and environmental factors that influence health. It studies the health of populations globally, regionally, and locally. It seeks to improve health and end health disparities for all people. Global public health depends on and aims to promote social justice. It aligns closely with the mission that is integral to the Catholic tradition, and that Pope Francis has articulated in his encyclical letter Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home (2015), calling upon all people to care for our planet, end social and economic injustice, prevent the disease, disability and premature death that fall disproportionately upon the poor. Overall, the contributions explore the ethical foundations of global public health and examine through an ethical lens the social, political, and economic factors that drive disparities in health. 

This volume brings together the contributions of a distinguished group of scholars–from Boston College, across the United States, and internationally–in theological ethics, law, public policy, economics, nursing, and global public health to examine ethical challenges facing global public health in the 21st century. They met for an interdisciplinary, international conference entitled “Ethical Challenges in Global Public Health: Climate Change, Pollution, and the Health of the Poor,” in September 2019. The revised papers from the conference gathered here fill an important gap in the debates and literature on global public health. Despite the clear connections between global public health and social justice, there has been surprisingly little scholarly exploration of the ethical challenges of global public health engaging theological ethics. We intend this book will substantially advance the emerging field of global public health ethics.

The essays in the collection are:  

Read the book here.