Planetary Health Proposal Development Meeting and Workshop
The Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) held a round-up Planetary Health proposal development meeting and workshop at The Key Point, RSIS, on 2 February 2024.
Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, researchers from various fields at Nanyang Technological University from the RSIS, Nanyang Business School (NBS), College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Asian School of the Environment (CoHASS) and Lee Kong Chian (LKC) School of Medicine, discussed and provided inputs to finalise the proposal.
Prof Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, RSIS delivered the opening remarks. She highlighted that since the COVID-19 pandemic, Planetary Health has gained momentum, with the rise of climate-induced health and biosecurity threats, such as an increase of zoonotic pathogens and CO2 pollution’s impact on health. Key research areas of the proposal could include the impact of business activities on the health of the environment and people, issues of climate justice and groups that are vulnerable to Planetary Health-related disruptions.
Margareth Sembiring, Associate Research Fellow, NTS, RSIS, then shared on the project overview and recap, outlining the key research advancements in Planetary Health, as well as the need for more of a focus and buy-in on the protection and conservation of the environment and biodiversity. Jose Ma. Luis P. Montesclaros, Research Fellow, NTS, RSIS, presented the proposal writing briefing and facilitated discussion among the participants. He highlighted the research objectives and questions of the proposal, how the research is relevant to Singapore, and the outcomes which aim to include journal articles and a potential Planetary Health Scorecard. The discussion was fruitful and demonstrated the value of collaboration across different disciplines. Following this meeting, the team plans to submit the proposal for the Social Science Research Thematic Grant (SSRTG) mid this year.
