[REPORTS] The 2nd Planetary Health Symposium with Dr Takeshi YORO

[Hiroshima University 75+75th Anniversary Project] The 2nd Planetary Health Symposium Report

 

The 2nd Planetary Health Symposium

“Community practice for Planetary Health: Richness in nature and our daily life”

 

The 2nd Planetary Health Symposium, organized by the IDEC institute, was held on March 2nd at Hiroshima University. A total of 215 people participated in the event, both on-site and online.

 

At the opening, Dr KANEKO Shinji, Executive Vice-President (Global initiatives) of Hiroshima University, delivered a welcoming speech, followed by a greeting from the Deputy Mayor of Higashihiroshima City KAWAGUCHI Kazunari, as a guest. Subsequently, Dr KASHIMA Saori, Director of the Planetary Health and Innovation Science Center (PHIS), The IDEC Institute, Hiroshima University, explained the objectives of the symposium. explained the objectives of the symposium.

 

Dr YORO Takeshi, Honorary Professor of the University of Tokyo, an anatomist and entomologist, provided the keynote lecture “Human Health and Biodiversity” along with interviewers of Dr KASHIMA Saori, the PHIS Director, and Dr HOSAKA Tetsuro, Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University. Dr YORO mentioned that Japanese people excel in sharing ambiguous emotions and that the Japanese language includes many expressions based on the five senses, and through this, our concepts have been formed. He proposed the term “Matomo na World (a decent world)” as a Japanese translation for planetary health.

 

The panel discussion titled “Planetary Health and Our Lives” included Dr SHIRAKAWA Katsunobu, Deputy Director of the Noboribetsu International Tourism and Convention Association Nupur; Dr HOSAKA Tetsuro, Associate Professor at Hiroshima University; Dr KIMURA YUMI, Lecturer of Osaka University; and Dr NAKASA Tamotsu, Chairperson of Services for the Health in Asian and African Regions (SHARE), as panellists. Dr ONODERA Shinichi, Professor at Hiroshima University, and Dr KASHIMA Saori, Director of PHIS, served as moderators. They reported on practical local initiatives regarding the utilization of SATOYAMA resources, the interaction between humans and nature, food and health, and the environment and infectious diseases, and engaged in discussions about the practice of planetary health. At the closing ceremony, Dr TANAKA Junko, Executive Vice-President (Kasumi Campus, Faculty Personnel and Public Relations) of Hiroshima University, delivered a speech.

 

Through this symposium, we acknowledged that planetary health is not a new concept, but it is a connection word for various efforts that have already been made in many places toward the coexistence of people’s health and rich ecosystems. Also, the discussion emphasized the importance of re-recognizing the local valuable commons such as social and natural environmental resources in the local community.

 

In a society of globalization and mass consumption, we have become less attentive to our surroundings and the local natural environment. The PHIS Centre of Hiroshima University aims to refocus on the existing social and natural resources (commons) and, through the promotion of initiatives based on “real experience”. Then, we would like to discuss with everyone what we should do to make our lives into “Matomo na World (a decent world),” and what can be done locally for its realization, while advancing together with the community.

 

Poster and overview：

(English) https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en/news/81558

(Japanese) https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/news/81541

Report (Japanese)：https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/news/82037