A world of good health

Earth Day is an apt moment to consider how our planet, a majestic 4.54 billion years old, is faring. The statistics aren’t pleasing. Once covered in verdant green, FAO finds Earth has now lost one-third of its forests through human activity.
WWF estimates such land-use changes have caused wildlife to decline by 69% in the last 50 years. The loss of natural ecosystems and their engineers, which includes birds, animals, insects and fungi, is literally drying up the world — the UN finds 75% of Earth’s land is degraded while its oceans are 30% more acidic now, choked by plastic and chemical waste.

Neither is the air pristine — as pollutants coat the skies, the World Economic Forum finds global carbon dioxide emissions rose in 2022 to a record high. Such CO2 covers Earth in a sheath which doesn’t let it release heat into space, trapping this in the atmosphere instead, making Earth 1.11 degrees warmer.

In the 15th century, the prescient Shakespeare wrote, ‘And through this distemperature, we see the seasons alter...’. Indeed, changing temperatures are causing sudden deluges and droughts, searing heatwaves and ignited forests, fevering Earth more. Such processes, termed ‘climate change’, are impacting your health now. Indeed, the World Health Organization states climate change is the biggest health threat facing humanity, poised to take 2,50,000 lives annually between 2030 and 2050 through heat stress, malaria and malnourishment. As vectors emerge from wrecked forests and floods, diseases spread while, with warmer climes, heatstroke is claiming lives worldwide, also intensifying cardiovascular and respiratory ills and strokes.

The fundamental truth is, our health comes from our planet’s well-being. Humans are not made of metal and nylon — we are built of the same elements Earth itself is composed of.


As we degrade Earth, we despoil what composes us — and hack away at foundational stability, causing physiological and mental stress. But we can restore ourselves yet — as Times Evoke’s global experts emphasise, recognising the link between Earth’s health and our own is vital. From this comes life affirming efforts like afforestation, protecting ecosystems and adopting renewable energy. Join Times Evoke in healing the world — this includes you.