One Health and planetary health research: leveraging

differences to grow together

The COVID-19 pandemic and the anthropogenic impact

on Earth’s life-supportsystems and planetary boundaries

have reinvigorated the One Health and planetary health

concepts, propelling them to the forefront of the global

health and sustainable development agendas. Although

both concepts build on equivalent systemic principles,

there is an ongoing debate and emerging confusion

around their differences and application areas.1–3

The One Health approach, historically focused on

zoonoses, initiated and led by the veterinary and disease

ecology communities, is not new.4

Yet the concept has

evolved since the new millennium, particularly in the

recent past.5

In June, 2021, the G7 supported One Health

and, in December of the same year, the One Health

High-Level Expert Panel and the Quadripartite (Food

and Agriculture Organization of the UN, the World

Organisation for Animal Health [formerly the Office

International des Epizooties], the UN Environment

Programme, and WHO) proposed a novel One Health

definition: “One Health is an integrated, unifying

approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize

the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. It

recognizes the health of humans, domestic and wild

animals, plants, and the wider environment (including

ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent.

The approach mobilizes multiple sectors, disciplines,

and communities at varying levels of society to work

together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health

and ecosystems, while addressing the collective need

for healthy food, water, energy, and air, taking action

on climate change and contributing to sustainable

development.”6

Planetary health is a younger concept proposed

in 2015 by The Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet

Commission, coinciding with the launch of the UN

Sustainable Development Goals.7

Planetary health was

defined as: “the health of human civilisation and the

state of the natural systems on which it depends.”7

In

2021, the Planetary Health Alliance redefined planetary

health as: “a solutions-oriented, transdisciplinary

field and social movement focused on analyzing and

addressing the impacts of human disruptions to Earth’s

natural systems on human health and all life on Earth”.8

To better understand the evolution of One Health and

planetary health, we conducted a bibliometric analysis

in the Web of Science since the emergence of COVID-19

in December, 2019, to identify common and unique

research areas, leading institutions, networks, and

countries (appendix pp 1–2).