Seminar - ‘One / Planetary Health and Regional Development’

Welcome to seminar ‘One / Planetary Health and Regional Development’

Join the seminar onsite (Lahti, Finland) or online (Teams) to learn how to harness co-benefits and avoid unintended consequences when balancing between human, animal and ecosystem well-being or sustainability goals. Hear both the latest researched evidence as well as practical cases from cities and regions across Europe.

This public interactive seminar welcomes both researchers and practitioners!

Topics include: blind and bright spots in one / planetary health, indicators and data, multisectoral and transdisciplinary collaboration, effective action steps, and more!

Speakers include, e.g., planetary health physician Hanna Haveri from the Wellbeing Services County of Päijät-Häme, and Tamzin Reynolds and Rebecca Newbould / Pathfinder Initiative at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

You’ll walk away not only with new ideas and tools—but also with new allies, strategies, and practical next steps to build momentum in your one / planetary health efforts – be that in practice or in research.

Date and time: 27th of May from 14.30 to 17.00 (online only until 16.20) (CET + 1 h)

Place: Aalto auditorium, Lahti Science Park, Niemenkatu 73 + Online in Teams

Registration deadline: 20th of May for onsite, 26th of May noon for online

Registrations via Lyyti, or, if that is not possible, contact [email protected]

Programme (all times in Finnish time, CET+1):

14.30 – 14.40 Welcome words by Päivi Sieppi and Marju Prass, One Health Gov

14.40 – 15.10 ’Health for Everyone in the Lahti Region’

Hanna Haveri is a clinical neurologist and a planetary health physician working in public healthcare in Lahti region. She is involved in the Nature Step to Health 2022-2032 initiative, a cross-sectorial programme for planetary health.

The talk is followed by QA and facilitated discussion on challenges and solutions for regional cross-sectoral collaboration between municipalities and health and social services for one health and planetary health.

15.10 – 15.40 ’Accelerating the Transition to a Healthy, Net-Zero future: Pathfinder Initiative’

The talk will cover the importance and power of framing climate mitigation actions in terms of their health co-benefits, case examples, and the potential health co-benefits across different types of mitigation actions and contexts.

Tamzin Reynolds is a Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, specialising in the health co-benefits of climate change mitigation and the pursuit of a just, equitable transition. She has a background in mathematics and public health, with her current work focuses on the intersection of climate policy, modelling, and health.

Rebecca Newbould is a Research Assistant at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, working on the Pathfinder Initiative to advance climate policies that also benefit public health. With a background in dentistry and health policy, her research focuses on the health co-benefits of climate-friendly urban planning and building healthier, more sustainable communities.

The talk is followed by QA and facilitated discussion on challenges and solutions for climate & health synergical tackling, incl. data and impact measurements.

15.40 – 15.50 Quick coffee break

15.50 – 16.20 ’Bright Spots and Blind Spots in Urban Governance of Biodiversity-Climate-Society Nexus’

We explore how urban governance applies the biodiversity–climate–society (BCS) nexus in four European regions—Cork, Klagenfurt, Päijät-Häme, and Malta—using a Planetary Health-informed, goals-oriented framework. Through qualitative analysis of policy documents, we assess the extent of change and current policy shifts across the BCS nexus. Bright spots include nature-based solutions, strong mobility targets, and participatory innovations. Yet blind spots—like missing indicators, sectoral silos, and reliance on soft policies—limit transformation. Despite global calls for integrated BCS governance, cities face barriers. Our findings offer guidance to strengthen sustainable, health-focused urban governance.

Milutin Stojanovic is an interdisciplinary sustainability scientist at Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), University of Helsinki.

QA and facilitated discussion on challenges and solutions, tackling gaps in one/planetary health work, and how to monitor progress.

16.20 – 17.00 Workshop ONSITE: ’The Power of Co-Creation in One / Planetary Health’

Bring new voices into your one / planetary health efforts - and turn those partnerships into meaningful collaborations. Together, we’ll explore your stakeholder ecosystem to uncover gaps and opportunities, and learn how to communicate your work in ways that resonate, inspire, and foster lasting connections.

Facilitator: Tsehaynesh Abebe, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine