What I enjoyed most about the Global Challenges course is the use of case studies, particularly in the Planetary Health (the study of human health and the state of the natural systems on which it depends on) lecture.
Luckily, due to being part of the Planetary Health Alliance, my lecturer was able to exclusively expose us to a set of Planetary Health Case Studies created by Hilary Duff who traveled the world to create the Planetary Health anthology. The case studies aim to expand the field of Planetary Health and educate the future generation.
Looking at the case studies has allowed me to develop the way I think and evaluate my preconceptions. Before being exposed to the case studies, I was quick to point fingers at problems rather than create solutions. With these case studies, we explored a plethora of cultures and different ways of thinking, which caused me to shut down my superior complexity and swap it with a more empathetic mindset which I developed through the course of the Case Study lecture series. When looking at the case studies it is important to be empathetic; it is easy to say people should stop causing environmental degradation due to the health implication, however, we first need to ask ourselves, why? We need to consider class, economic status, gender, and other social factors and look at the key stakeholders involved to come up with a solution. It is important to remember that in some communities, people create environmental problems not because they want to, but need to so they can survive. Fortunately, I was able to develop my empathetic skills which is key and was also highlighted by Hilary Duff.
In total, we looked at three case studies in our lectures. The first case study that we looked at was ‘Today’s Solutions for the Future of Food’, the second being ‘Dams and Disease in Senegal’ and the last case study that we looked at was about Madagascar and the need for alternative proteins to save endangered species. Three weeks was spent on each case study and each week consisted of:
- discussing the case study in our groups and interacting with an expert on the topic
- creating and presenting a stakeholder analysis
- creating and presenting a causal loop diagram
When looking at the case studies, we were encouraged to think in an interdisciplinary manner, and the use of systems thinking allowed us to think in this manner.
I will continue to expand my knowledge by reading the rest of the case study collection which has recently been published to the public. You can also read the case studies if you visit: https://www.planetaryhealthalliance.org/case-studies.
Other useful sources: https://www.planetaryhealthalliance.org/planetary-health https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFTBXRKQ-tQ&t=335s