The Gaia hypothesis and the concept of One Health as two integrated visions of the relationship between life and the environment
The Gaia hypothesis, formulated by James Lovelock and developed with Lynn Margulis, describes the Earth as a complex, self-regulating system in which living organisms interact with inorganic components to maintain conditions favorable to life. This planetary homeostasis is the result of feedback processes among biota, and evolution concerns the entire Earth system, not just individual organisms or the environment.1
The One Health concept takes this systemic vision and applies it to public health, recognizing the interdependence between human health, ecosystem health, and production sustainability.
In a context marked by globalization and climate change, an integrated and multidisciplinary approach based on the “one Planet, one Health” model is necessary.
The Scientific Method2is identified in Ecology3as a fundamental tool for understanding and governing the relationships between living beings and the environment, hoping to guide effective policies and actions for the prevention and protection of health and the environment through Applied Research in the Chemical, Physical and Biological Monitoring of the Environment, relating to both the Quality of Biotic and Abiotic Matrices, and the Quality of Emission and Immission Sources,4 determining the most objective Environmental and Health Impact Assessments scientifically supported by both National and International Institutions and by authoritative publications5.
- https://uniupe.it/blog/tutto-e-interconnesso-la-teoria-di-gaia ↩︎
- Scientific Method ↩︎
- Science founded in 1886 by Ernst Haeckel. Ecology (from the Greek: οἶκος, oikos, “house” or “environment”; and λόγος, logos, “study”) is the scientific analysis of the interactions between organisms and their environments. Ecology therefore studies ecosystems. It is an interdisciplinary field that includes both the life sciences, i.e., biology, and the earth sciences. ↩︎
- PMAS Environmental and Health Monitoring Plans ↩︎
- VIIAS-One Health block diagram ↩︎