Green Planet, Green Care

Dr. Jurjen Luykx is a clinical scientist at Amsterdam UMC and GGZ in Geest. He has a research background in psychiatric genetics and a broad interest in neurobiological, clinical, environmental, and societal issues related to psychiatry, including planetary mental health. He spearheads several initiatives related to planetary mental health (Lancet Psychiatry Commission on Climate Change and Mental Health), and research into making psychotropic medication use more sustainable.Dr. Juliette Mattijsen is a physician, activist, and researcher working at the intersection of health and justice affiliated with the University Medical Centre Utrecht. Through her medical practice, she was confronted with the deeply political nature of health, shaped not only by access to care, but by inequality, climate breakdown, and colonial legacies. These experiences led her to focus increasingly on activism, both within and beyond the healthcare sector. Juliette works towards a new narrative on health, engaging with themes such as the social and political determinants of health, the right to self-determination over land and bodies, the decolonisation of medicine, and the building of collective alternatives rooted in care, solidarity, equality, and wellbeing.Dr. Evelyn Brakema is a GP and post-doctoral researcher on sustainable healthcare at the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), and the co-founder and chair of the Dutch Green Health Alliance (Groene Zorg Alliantie) in the Netherlands, which she helped establish as a grassroots network to mobilise health professionals towards action for planetary health. It is one of the most robust sustainability networks in healthcare, connecting over 250 local and national Green Teams (more than 10,000 health professionals). Now, Evelyn is a national figurehead for the transition to sustainable healthcare in the media and (inter)national events. Evelyn was awarded ‘Sustainability Champion of the Year’ (Health Care Without Harm Europe, 2025).Dr. Joyce Browne is a medical doctor and epidemiologist dedicated to advancing global maternal health, health equity, planetary health, and fair and sustainable partnerships in global health. Her work connects research, education, and capacity strengthening in high, low, and middle-income countries. She is an Associate Professor of Global Health at the University Medical Center Utrecht, and affiliated with the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance (REBO) of Utrecht University, The Netherlands.Dr. George Downward, originally a medical doctor from New Zealand, George now leads the Planetary Health and Exposome team at the University Medical Centre Utrecht. With backgrounds in clinical medicine, global health, and environmental epidemiology, he leads multiple lines of research and education, examining our changing world and how those changes (often unfairly) impact our health. Noa Kolpa is an activist and medical student affiliated with the Department of Global Public Health & Bioethics at the University Medical Center Utrecht. Driven by a deep love for nature and the planet, her work and engagement focus on planetary health, mental health, and epistemic justice. Across her studies, teaching activities, and activism, Noa works to challenge dominant knowledge systems and to amplify the voices of those who have been systematically excluded. She is committed to building more just and compassionate forms of care, and to contributing to collective movements that place humanity, connection, and wellbeing, for both people and planet, at their core.

• Foreword.- Editors' note.- Introduction.- Chapter 1: Healthy People, Healthy Planet: Promoting Planetary Health by Protecting, Preserving, and Promoting Health.- Chapter 2. From Awareness to Action: The Role of Planetary Health Education.- Chapter 3. Tackling Healthcare Carbon Emissions.- Chapter 4. A Guide to Circular and Resilient Healthcare.- Chapter 5. Promoting Sustainable Use of Medication.- Chapter 6. Climate Justice: An Ethical Perspective on Making Healthcare More Sustainable.- Chapter 7. Behaviour Change: Will Anything Come of It? .- Chapter 8. Medical Technology: Villain or Friend? .- Chapter 9. Caring for Society: The Role of the Healthcare Professional, from Coffee Room to Climate Summit.- Closing Words.- Appendix A “Poverty is the most important cause of ill health, yet we keep treating it as an afterthought.” .- Appendix B POLYPHANT 2024.- Appendix C Questions for Reflection: Justice, Health, and Climate.- Appendix D Is there another way? .- Appendix E “This isn’t about green vs anti-green politics. This is about life.”.