International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) in Humanitarian Field: Why and How to Engage With Planetary Health?

Planetary Health is an emerging field reshaping the understanding of Global Health concerns and interventions in the Anthropocene. Many challenges faced by humanitarian actors are exacerbated by the climate crisis, which could be considered itself another humanitarian crisis. However, often the humanitarian response focuses mainly on disaster risk reduction and on efforts to decarbonize operations. Arguing that Planetary Health offers the missing piece to assess and respond to the complexity of the climate crisis, the authors identify the added value of this approach for humanitarian programs. They pinpoint the main barriers among humanitarian actors in adopting or exploring further the Planetary Health approach. Finally, they share a few suggestions toward integrated Planetary Health programs in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). Ultimately, this personal viewpoint calls for an inclusive debate to bring Planetary Health insights, critiques, and innovations into Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) hard daily work in order to strengthen co-benefits for health and the environment.