Environment and Health (Routledge Introductions to Environment)

Human health and the health of the environment are complex yet intimately bound subjects that together form a central underpinning to the concept of sustainability. As sustainability continues to be the driving factor of international policies it is therefore of paramount importance to begin to understand the environment health relationship.

Environment and Health explores how human health increasingly is being seen, researched and contextualised in terms other than traditional epidemiology. After examining the reasons for the dominance of such an approach the text examines the move towards a more strategic, holistic approach that emphasizes the importance of considering the physical and social health of the environment. The links between environment, health and sustainability are then made explicit, including an investigation into the structures that drive sustainable practice.

Treby illuminates in a concise and accessible manner the complex interrelationships between human health and environmental health. Using numerous examples and cases including HIV / AIDS, GM crops and the re-emergence of TB, the text explains how, in order to achieve sustainability and manage health at a global scale, there is a need to move beyond the symptoms of disease.